


White Ink and Black Paper

by steepSLANTEDroof



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempted Rape, Charles what were you thinking, Child Abuse, Erik Logic Is The Best Logic, Everyone is an idiot, Kurt and Cain Marko are mean, M/M, Multi, Sexual Harassment, So is the author, Some angst-ish, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-14 09:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2186535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steepSLANTEDroof/pseuds/steepSLANTEDroof
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles Xavier, a freshman at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters (which his family owns) has been crushing on Erik Lensherr ever since middle school. Now that he has the chance to convey his feelings, things...took a rather uncanny turn. Because Erik Lensherr is, and has always been, a rather uncanny existence.</p>
<p>But Charles also has to deal with a perverted stepfather, a violent stepbrother, an alcoholic mother and everything else in between. Would he want Erik to deal with all of that?</p>
<p>Or in which Charles is smitten, Erik is an artistic dumbass, Logan has a not-secret, Alex is a KY, Scott is a prince in denial and Jean is his so-not-sweetheart, Hank is traumatized and Raven just wants to watch the world burn.</p>
<p>Inspired by the manga Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, where Erik is Nozaki and Charles is Sakura. But with more twist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And then the weirdest thing happened

Charles Xavier was never the type to get distracted. Ever since he was a wee lad, his parents and the staff at his house would find him so engrossed in something - usually books on human biology, chess or just staring at people - that it would take an irresistible force to snap him out of his daze, usually in the form of his human needs or a raging Raven. That all changed in middle school, because Erik Lensherr came along. And Erik Lensherr was an unexpected existence.

Erik Lensherr doesn't say much, nor does he do much, but he has a certain presence that no one can deny that make the others around him realize that he is not just a wax statue sitting in the corner of the room. However, many would avoid him due to his permanent scowl and his...eccentricities. Some say he likes going to the girls' changing room to sketch the girls in their underwear. Some say he they have seen him kidnap and torture unfortunate thugs who attempted to mug him in the middle of the night. Some say he is a time traveling Jewish messiah who escaped the Genocide. Nevertheless, Erik Lensherr is a colossal mystery. A weird one.

And Charles likes weird. He has been observing Erik Lensherr for a while now (read: four years) and now that he has followed him all the way to Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters - a school he has vowed to never enroll to due to its association with his family - there's no going back for Charles. He had sacrificed everything: his plans to escape his family, his hopes of avoiding Cain at all costs, his wishes to abandon the image of his unstable mother. All of his plans were crumpled up and flushed down the toilet in favor of one Erik Lensherr, and so Charles was not wasting anymore time.

But thinking back on his choices again, many were hardly any good. So he was standing at the school gardens during lunch, hands fisted at his sides to hide their trembling, with Erik Lensherr right in front of his. Well, more like two arms' length, three if he was being pessimistic. Whoever said that taking advices from your little sister about romance was ever a good idea?

"Are you just going to stand there the whole time?" Erik drawled, his voice cutting through the turmoil in his head. Charles blinked and looked up to meet Erik's (gorgeous) green eyes.

"What?" he said dumbly.

"I'll just leave if there's nothing to do here." And Erik stepped away and was about to turn -

"N-no! Wait!" Charles suddenly called out. Erik stopped and waited. Taking a deep breath, collecting his words, Charles began his babble. "Y-you see, I've been observing you for a while now." _Oh God, I sound like a bloody stalker!_ "And I, uh, I just want to say that...uh...I-I like you. A lot. Since a long time ago - "

And then the weirdest thing happened. Erik looked disturbingly unfazed by what Charles just said. In fact, Erik fished out a notepad and a pen from his pocket and proceeded to scribble something onto it. When he's done, he ripped out the page he had written on and handed it over to a dumbfounded Charles. Expecting the worst, the cautious brunet accepted the paper slowly and shifted his gaze to it reluctantly...

It's an autograph.

Erik Lensherr gave him his autograph.

"It may look a bit off, since I rarely meet with fans so I don't practice my signature very often," Erik explained.

Charles doesn't know if he should be delighted or if he should rethink his life choices.

 

***

 

When Raven was searching for Charles, she was not expecting the sight of him moping. She had found him in the school gardens, leaned against a tree and clutching a piece of paper with an expression akin to a boy who had just witnessed his dog being run over by a lorry. Bounding over to her brother, she flopped down onto his side and rested her head on his shoulder, waiting. The first sound Charles emitted was similar to a dying badger.

Raven lifted her head and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Lensherr rebuked you?"

Charles shook his head. "No," he sniffed. "He gave me this." He passed the crumpled paper over to Raven for her to examine.

"What's this?"

"His autograph."

"Why do you have his autograph?"

"He gave it to me. After I said I liked him."

"Why?"

Charles paused. He sniffed and clutch his knees so hard his knuckles went white. "He thought I was his fan," he finally wailed out, head falling to the side so he could bury his tear-stained face in Raven's shoulder.

Raven would've rolled on the ground laughing by now if it weren't for how miserable Charles seems.

She pinched herself and shifted her seating position. "Well, I think you weren't clear with your intentions."

Charles looked up at her with the most heart-wrenching gaze she had ever seen. "R-really?"

"Yeah," she confirmed with sureness. "If 'I like you' was a flop, you should try with 'I love you'. And roses and a romantic dinner and perhaps even a ring - "

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I enjoy many things, dear brother. ...Yeah, Lensherr's response was totally a bomb."

What Raven received was a new shower of tears from her poor brother.

"Okay. Okay. Why don't you try befriending him first?" the blonde suggested, patting her brother's head.

Charles mumbled something close to "What if I get friendzoned?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Then you should make your intentions known, you dolt."

A while of contemplating (spent by lip-biting from Charles and flower viewing by Raven) and the brunet finally made his decision. "...Alright. So I'll be his friend first. I'll get to know him and see if I can, uh, seduce him?" A pause. "Which reminds me, shouldn't you be in drama club rehearsal right now?"

Before Charles could get an answer, a large hand yanked Raven away from his side and over one broad shoulder. The blonde let out an undignified shriek while Charles looked wholly unamused.

"Logan! Be nice to my sister!" Charles chided the gruff, wild-looking senior looming over him.

The boy - Logan - merely smirked and said "Trust me, Chuck. This little shit doesn't need any pampering." And all the while Raven's cries for help went unanswered.

Charles' scowl deepened and he held an accusing finger. "And mind your language!"

In truth, Charles didn't exactly mind Logan's choice of words, nor did he mind his manhandling of his little sister. The Xavier children had known Logan ever since the day the older boy arrived at their doorstep, bruised and bloody to no recognition, asking for them to lend him their shower. Though no details were given that day, it seemed like Logan had ran away from something and wasn't planning on returning - which means he was a poor, abused and now homeless boy who needed help, according to Charles. In actuality, Logan had got into a fight with the local gang because of his attempt in revealing their drug stashes for retaliation of when they stole his motorbike, but he decided not to reveal the truth because the sight of a flustered and sympathetic Charles was just too precious to let go.

Meanwhile, Raven had scurried off to her bed.

Logan, as Charles learnt, was a senior at XSGY (the Xavier family school) and was the head of Drama Club. His family history was still shrouded in mystery, but all was well as long as Logan doesn't show up battered at the Xaviers' doorsteps again.

Now the problem lies with the fact that Raven was also in the Drama Club. See, Raven had the bad habit of skipping rehearsals and would do whatever she wants (mainly flirting with every guy and girl within the vicinity), and that would just rile up Logan. And so their famous act of "Beauty and the Beast" was a normality in the hallways - which would usually involve Logan kidnapping or bullying Raven into agreeing to at least attend a rehearsal for a scene, two if it's Raven's good day.

Charles leant back on the tree behind him. "I think you should take the Princess before she escapes."

"Traitor!" Raven yelled.

"She could try, but she won't get very far," Logan said. He then noticed the state Charles was in. "Chuck, you alright?"

"What?"

"You look like a wreck."

Raven suddenly gasped and squirmed on Logan's shoulder. "Oh! Oh! I want to tell him!"

"Raven!"

"Why not? He deserves to know. He's our friend."

"Raven, I swear if you tell a would about what happened, I will use your favorite leather jacket to make moccasins to sell on eBay!"

"Not eBay!" Raven protested. "You should use Amazon!"

"I thought Amazon sells books," Logan piped up.

"And why moccasins?! Leather boots are becoming trendy, considering it's nearly November," Raven continued on.

"...You really need to get your priorities straight, Raven," Charles said.

And then Raven seemed to have caught up on what's happening. "No! Not my leather jacket! That's a present from Azie!"

Logan guffawed. "Seriously? You've got a nickname for that guy?" Logan knows Azazel - he's the leader of the neighboring city's bile gang who often strolls over to their area when he gets bored. Raven "dated" the guy with the ugly scar on his face for a while when he was finally arrested for attempting to shoplift a bakery, and Raven's favorite leather jacket was his parting gift to her. A sad story, really.

"He was such a sweetheart, okay?" Raven huffed, stilling her struggles. "Fine, Charles, my mouth is sealed. Stay away from my leather jacket."

"Now that's settled - " Logan didn't finish his sentence, instead turning around to carry a kicking and screaming blonde spitfire back to the theatre. Charles was amazed Logan hadn't kicked her out a long time ago...but then again, he did admit she was the best actress around who can play both male and female roles, and her popularity in the school means more audience to shows involving Raven. Charles shook his head and smiled fondly at the memory of how the crowd had gone wild when Raven played as Romeo earlier this year.

While Raven was the one basked in glory, Charles was what many would say the school nerd. Well, that's just exaggerating it - he had many friends as well as friendly acquaintances, and he doesn't spend much time studying since he did that years before enrolling high school. In fact, Charles could skip freshman, sophomore and junior years and fo straight to his last year of high school if he wants to...but that would mean less time with Erik, who was a freshman himself.

Everything was for Erik.

As Charles made his way towards his next class, he wondered about how great Erik's influence was in his life.

***

Charles caught up to Erik at the end of the day when the boy was making his way towards the school gates. As soon as he saw him, Charles totally did not walk-run as fast as he could without seeming desperate or as if in need of a restroom. When finally in ear range, Charles opened his mouth only to shut it again.

Erik's appearance had always been a majestic sight, but now that Charles was close to him again he remembered why he had made a fool out of himself back at the school gardens. Close cropped auburn hair, sharp viridian eyes, tall and fit stature...Charles gulped and made to turn away from the blindingly bright image of Adonis - 

"Oh, it's the fan boy," a familiar voice remarked. Charles completely forgot about his sexy voice. Dammit.

"Hi Erik!" Charles greeted hurriedly. "Are you heading home?"

"Yeah. You want to come with me."

...That was random. "Uh...sorry?"

"You can come with me to my house," Erik said. "I need a hand at something."

"...Oh! Oh! Alright! I can help!" Charles was taught to never accept anything from strangers lest the worst will happen. But the thing he was accepting was a favour and Erik was not a stranger. Okay, Erik was somewhat of a stranger who may or may not likes seeing girls in their underwear or kidnap and torture thugs or is actually a time-travelling Jewish messiah.

These rumours did not come from nowhere, right? At least Charles would like to think so.

Nevertheless, the next time Charles was aware of his surroundings again, he was seated at the dining table of the Lensherrs house, waiting for Erik to come back with his "project". And he thought the sophomore Hank McCoy was clueless about the outside world.

When Erik came back, he had an armful of papers with drawings, a bottle of ink and a pencil case of drawing pens that would certainly make comic artists everywhere salivate. He arranged his paraphernalia onto the dinner table and seated himself across Charles, handing him a drawing. Charles noticed that the drawings were organized in panels of varying shapes and sizes depending on whatever the scene was.

Erik handed him a pen and moved the ink bottle closer to Charles. "The Art Club members said you're pretty good but you don't want to join. I trust you know how to ink these?" Erik inquired. Charles nodded absent-mindedly. "Okay, then. Let's get working."

The two boys worked diligently in silence, Charles obediently inking every drawing given to him, Erik doing the same. Only the occasional "That's neat" and "This one's next" from Erik were the only sound in the room.

Then Charles snapped.

"You're a comic artist?!" Charles exclaimed. Erik's head shot up, an incredulous expression on his face.

"You've just realized after inking more than twenty pages?"

"What else do I not know?" Charles blabbered on. "I bet the rumours are true, t-that you like taking picture of girls in the changing room - "

"They're clothed and they're for my manga's reference," Erik said coolly. Charles swore his eyes were bulging out of his sockets.

"What about the thugs?!"

"I only kept them overnight to interview them about the so-called 'thug life'."

"The you're a time traveling Jewsih messiah from the 1940s?!"

Erik's brows furrowed. "Who told you that?"

"...Okay, that one is totally impossible," Charles admitted.

"I am Jewish, though. It's a common knowledge in school." A pause. "Oh. I think it's that one time at Halloween when I dressed up as a Nazi hunter from a video game."

Alright, Erik was somewhat of a Jewish time traveler. And a thug kidnapper. And a changing room pervert. And a comic artist - no, the correct term must be a mangaka.

"So," Charles said after a breath. "Since when have you done this?"

"What? Making notorious rumours?"

"No, making comics."

Erik stopped his inking to think, tapping his pen on the table. "Middle school? Somewhere midway, if my memories are correct. You know Elizabeth Lakeshore?"

The question was somehow off topic, bur Charles answers nonetheless. "Yeah, she's the local manga artist who writes romance comics popular among teens."

"She's me."

Charles choked on his saliva.

In need of truth, he flipped through the pages he had been inking to,find that yea, they were pages showing the love story between a light-haired girl and a dark-haired boy - Margo and Jason, the main characters of Heart-shaped Umbrella, the romance comic by Elizabeth Lakeshore AKA Erik Lensherr.

Erik Lensherr is Elizabeth Lakeshore.

Charles would be,lying if he said he was not his fan. He would, however, never admit about the stashed volumes hidden under his bed.

"And I haven't got your name, now that I realized," Erik said. Charles realized this too, and dropped the papers he had been holding and stared at intently.

"I'm, uh, Charles Xavier," he said. "I'm in your maths class. And we went to the same middle school."

Erik didn't seem to remember. Why would he, to be honest? Charles used to avoid him because of his sheer good-lookingness.

"You own the school?" Erik asked instead. Charles cringed at that.

"My mother does, actually, along with my stepfather."

Erik hummed and nodded. "I've heard about that." Silence ensued and the two went back to their work, earlier conversations seemingly forgotten. Charles wanted to know more about Erik, because the fact that the boy knew something about his family was unfair due to the fact that he knew nothing about him. Looking around the dining room/kitchen, he noticed the photographs on the fridge and some on the hallway which he could see from the doorway. The house was a bungalow, something modest and quaint, and also meant Erik had a small family, or something. His parents looked really friendly, from what he could tell (unlike Erik) and he had no siblings, as there were no other people in the photos aside from Erik and his parents. Charles decided he shouldn't make assumptions and just ask Erik himself.

"Where are your parents, Erik?"

If Charles could retract his words he certainly would, because the moment the words left his mouth Erik's shoulders stiffened. "Dead," he said tightly. His hands had long stopped moving. Charles kicked himself for being such a nosy dumbass.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't know - "

"It's okay," Erik cut in before Charles could say more. "I didn't expect you to know." A pause, and then Erik resumed his work. "I'm living with a relative, though." He left it at that. Charles didn't ask him anymore, for the tone he used to talk about this "relative" was full of bitter venom.

By the time it was seven, they had finished inking all of the required pages. Though he wanted to hang around a bit more, Charles had to return home to ensure Raven he wasn't kidnapped by some serial killer. Reluctantly, he bid his farewell to a stoic Erik and made his way home, all the while thinking about the things that happened that day. Erik was sure to hate him now because of how nosy he was being. Maybe he won't talk to him, let alone look in his direction, ever again. But Charles vowed he'd try, and so he'd try.

That night, Charles was glad Kurt wasn't home yet and Raven hadn't ask where he was, just throwing him a knowing smug smirk and then sauntered off to her room. Charles spent the majority of his time in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about the beautiful auburn-haired boy he finally talked to. He closed his eyes and replayed the images and voices in his head. His eyes were still closed when Kurt opened the door to his room, and he willed himself to sleep when Kurt stroke his hair, then his shoulder, then his waist...


	2. Bicycle date in winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt, Emma and a bicycle date with Erik.

He was woken up by the blinding sunlight filtering through his translucent white curtains, the blue opaque ones already drawn to the side like every other mornings. He felt restless, numb - dirty. That's what he always felt whenever Kurt was home. It gets worse if Cain was also around, bit thankfully he was sent far away to some boarding school, only coming home during the holidays. Which is just around the corner now that it's finally the end of autumn. Charles groaned and buried his face in his pillow.

The door creaked open and Charles stiffened. He heard Kurt stepping closer to his bed, felt the dip of the mattress and his hand through his brown locks. "You should get up now, it's getting rather late," Kurt said gently. Sickeningly gently. Charles repressed the urge to shudder.

"I feel like lying in bed," he said instead, clutching his pillow.

Kurt hummed and continued stroking his hair. "That sounds nice, but I know you value knowledge over your own bed. Which reminds me," Kurt suddenly said, lifting his hand off of Charles' head - he took this opportunity to breath properly - and shifted in his seat. "I'll be going abroad for a while on a business trip. There are Japanese entrepreneurs interested in the experiments we've been conducting, particularly the one about the brain's psionic activities and the possibility of brain mutation that may encourage telepathy. Anyway, I'll be gone for a long while, though I'll come back as soon as it's your winter break."

Charles' heart leapt in his heart. What Kurt meant was that he'll be gone for a month, give or take. He couldn't supress the smile that was gracing his face, so he pressed his nose onto his pillow to draw in a deep breath. Once composed, he slightly turned his head towards Kurt, barely catching the sight of his neatly trimmed beard and his longing dark eyes. "I hope the best for your business trip, then," Charles said.

That was the wrong thing to say apparently, for Kurt took the liberty of leaning closer to Charles and muzzled the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply and peppering the flawless skin with light kisses. Charles bit his bottom lip as a large, calloused hand dove under the blankets, over the curve of his hip and settled over his waistband. The events of last night replayed in Charles' head, forcing him to shut his eyes tightly to will off the images.

Thankfully, Kurt only settled to caress his thigh and dropped a kiss to his ear. "You should,get ready now. Raven is probably downstairs already." With a last kiss to his cheek, Kurt left the room.

At the click of the door, Charles,bolted out of bed, stripped himself off of his pajamas and rushed towards the bathroom, standing under the spray of hot water and scrubbing furiously. Kurt never went past the fondling, but even so...even so...Charles scrubbed harder at where Kurt kissed him and where his hand roamed, and then doubled his effort as his tears brought forth the previous night into the front of his mind.

***

Charles was glad Raven didn't jump Kurt when she saw him. He was also glad she let him skip breakfast to get out of the house earlier, buying a sandwich from the coffee shop nearby instead so he could have something to occupy him on the way to school. Kurt had once expressed his displeasure of having Charles and Raven walking to school, instead insisting that they take a car, but Charles pointed out that the school was close to the Xavier manor which made the car pretty useless. Besides, a morning walk is always refreshing.

Raven glanced over at her brother, noting the raw skin at his neck from where she was sure he scrubbed furiously. She clenched her hands to calm herself, digging her nails into the palms and dragging it up and down. "You look like a lobster," she said, attempting to lighten the air. Charles chuckled, which made her smile.

"And you look wonderful with that leather jacket," he shot back. Indeed, Raven was wearing Azazel's infamous leather jacket.

"It's getting cold. And I've been dying to wear the jacket," Raven said.

"Are you still visiting Azazel in prison?"

"He escaped prison last night," Raven said casually. Charles tripped on his foot. "He visited the manor at midnight - threw pebbles at my window, and then I met him at the balcony. Azie told me he'll come back for me one day, but for now he's on the run. ...I'm kidding, I'm visiting him in the weekend like I always do. What's with that face?"

Charles' mouth flapped open and close before he could form any words. "I actually thought he escaped!"

"And I didn't think you're that gullible."

"Well, after finding out that Erik Lensherr is a time traveling Jewish changing room pervert who kidnaps and tortures thugs just yesterday, I don't think anything's normal anymore."

"Ah, so you found out what actually happened."

"You knew all along?!"

"I was one of the people who started the rumours."

This little twit.

The school gates were visible now, as well as students milling about waiting for the homeroom bell. He spotted Logan and Jean Grey, one of the members of the Art Club whom Logan had asked for help on painting the background for the upcoming play. Then there're the Summers brothers, who were conversing with a frazzled Hank McCoy and a laughing Ororo Munroe. Charles knew Alex Summers, as he was in his homeroom and his chemistry lab partner, as well as one of his closest friends, but Charles had only seen Scott Summers once or twice. From how uncomfortable Hank looked, it seemed that Alex was being his nuisance of a self again. He looked terribly glad when Armando "Darwin" Muñoz came to fetch him.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Emma Frost walking over to where Charles and Raven were, hair in immaculate waves and her fashionable clothes a pristine white in colour. The Xavier children only knew Emma because her father and Kurt were business partners. Though she was a mega bitch when she was just a girl, she seemed to sober up as she grow older and now the Xavier children and Emma were what some would call frenemies.

"Charles, Raven, good morning darlings," Emma greeted, a sweet, frosty smile upon her lips. "You're both earlier than usual today."

"Ugh, it's creepy how you know just when exactly we arrive at school," Raven said. She faked a disgusted shudder and hugged herself, mock glaring at Emma.

Emma was about to retort with something when she caught aight of Charles's unusually pink neck. Being their childhood friend, Emma knew almost everything about Charles and Raven, and vice versa. The Xavier children were the ones who stuck by her when her brother, Christopher, was disowned by his father and later died of a drug overdose, and Emma had done the same for the siblings during their worst times. So Emma swallowed her retort and instead gave Charles her most sincere smile.

"Charles, I was hoping you'd help tutor me on maths at lunch," Emma said, leaving the sentence hanging so Charles could decline her offer if he'd like. Raven shot the platinum blonde a thankful look.

"Oh, sure. I don't have anything - "

"Xavier," a familiar sexy accented voice called out. Charles blushed madly while the two blondes with him glanced over his head to assess an approaching Erik Lensherr. They shared a look and then turned to Charles.

"On a second thought," Emma said. "I'll ask Raven instead, yeah?"

"Yeah, I totally ace maths," Raven agreed. That's a lie though - Raven was one of the worst; it would be Emma tutoring Raven instead. Before Charles could say anything, Emma and Raven linked arms and hurried away while Erik dominated his field of vision.

The hot guy was wearing his trademark black turtleneck and dark jeans, topped with a dark jacket which made him look like a character from The Matrix, but infinitely hotter. Feeling self conscious, Charles scratched his ear and pulled at his sweater.

"Morning, Erik," Charles greeted. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for his composed voice.

"Morning. Would you walk with me to class?" Charles nearly choked on his saliva again. "I want to talk to you about some things I should include in my manga. I'm rather stuck on what should be the theme for the next chapter."

"Oh, alright, I'll gladly do that," Charles said, walking in step with Erik. "So, what did you have in mind?"

"The hero and heroine had just made their feelings clear with each other, and so the hero wants to start doing some romantic things with her. What romantic things can you think of, Xavier?"

"Erm, Charles is alright," Charles said without thinking. Erik just nodded.

"Then I'm Erik. So, Charles, what romantic things can you think of?"

There were many romantic things Charles Xavier could think of, but most of them were terribly sappy and Erik would probably puke rainbows and glitters just from hearing them. Instead, he settled on the least harmful one.

"The hero could offer the heroine a ride on his bike - you know, walk her home and all."

"A bike..." Erik mused. "But that would be a traffic violation in Japan."

Charles shoulders slumped. "Yeah, you're right."

"We could alter it, though," Erik offered. He led Charles to a bench, where he pulled out a sketchbook and a pencil from his bag. He flipped over to an empty page and started offering ideas in the form of sketches.

The first sketch was a stereotypical "walk with the bike next to you scene" where no one rides the bike.

Erik: I was maybe thinking of this.

Charles: Then they might as well discard the bike. It's just an accessory.

The second was of the hero riding the bike and the heroine running after him.

Erik: What about this?

Charles: He's so cruel!

The third was of the heroine riding the bike with the hero leading it by the steer.

Erik: Better?

Charles: Might as well ride a horse...

Both of them were unsatisfied with the three ideas, and so Erik suggested something brilliantly out of the box. "Why not use the bike with multiple seats?"

Charles looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "Erik, that is very not romantic."

"Then we make it romantic."

Erik proceeded to draw a picture of the hero with a four-seat bike with other girls fighting to get a ride with him, while the heroine looked on with a betrayed expression.

Erik: Now it's a battle for his love.

Charles: It's a battle for a bike seat, Erik.

Erik: You're missing the point. The heroine, feeling left out, will walk away only for the hero to declare that she take the seat right behind him, the one closest to him.

Charles: So the other girls will take the other two seats.

Erik: I told you, it's a battle for his love.

Charles: ...

Charles couldn't believe he fell in love with this idiot.

Erik had disappeared during the lunch break, promising something "romantic" to show Charles afterschool. Charles liked to think that this "romantic" thing is his way of courting Charles, but he knew this was solely for his manga material. And so obediently, Charles stayed back to wait for Erik, telling Raven to go on ahead and he'll be back later in the evening perhaps (knowing Erik, this must be some bizarre thing). When Erik finally showed up, he was rather empty handed. Charles frowned in confusion.

"Where's the 'romantic' thing?" he asked.

"I parked it not far away from the school. Come, I'll show you."

Charles followed Erik to the minimarket next to the school, where an array of bicycles were parked in neat rows. Finally catching up to the scene in front of him, Charles realized Erik wanted to try the bicycle date idea.

"I wanted to try doing the bicycle things," Erik explained, making Charles' thoughts true. "But the normal bikes were only for sale, so..." Erik went past the rows of bikes and stopped in front of a bright red bicycle with two seats and two pedals. Proudly, with a shit-eating grin on his face, he counted the front seat. "...I rented this one."

If Charles was wondering whether his life choices were good, then now he is definitely sure they're all terrible.

"...You've got to be kidding me."

"No I'm not. I was going to rent the four-seat one but it was really expensive. I was hoping your blonde friends could join. Oh well, this is it. Now hop on."

Erik was lucky he was undeniably hot, otherwise he would've gone straight home.

They had been riding the insufferable bike around the neighborhood for a while now. Charles was very sure Erik was going in circles because he just saw Starbucks for the fifth time now. That or Erik is lost.

"Do you feel any love now?" Erik asked at a bend.

"No," Charles replied blandly. "I think a sense of comradeship is born instead."

"Alright, then why don't you just sit while I ride the bike. Like a pseudo normal bike.\," Erik suggested.

So the two stopped for a while so Charles could sit facing the side, and when they went again Erik had to double his efforts when riding the bike.

After twenty minutes, Charles snapped.

"Erik, I'm feeling terribly useless and sorry for you! Make it stop!" Charles cried out. Erik stopped, panting (gosh, that's so hot!) and then turned to Charles.

"Okay, why don't you ride with me but hold onto me at the same time. Body contact can make situations romantic."

Except that when Charles attempted to hold onto Erik's narrow waist, he had to lean dangerously forward and only managed to grab onto the edge of his jacket, the lower half of his body seated and working awkwardly. Because of the inappropriate setting, they nearly crashed into walls and poles far too many times.

After what seemed like forever, Erik decided to call it a day and the two cycled over to the Xavier manor. To the front gates, in fact; Charles didn't want to trouble Erik to go all the way to the manor lest he gets lost on his way back (Charles was right - Erik has no mental compass). "I hope this somehow helps you," Charles said sincerely. Even through all of the guy's strange antics, the sight of his basking in the evening sun was breathtaking, highlighting his sharp nose and thin lips and made his eyes seem fiery, and it reminded him of why he fell in love with him in the first place.

It was an evening too...when Erik saved his life...

"Thanks for the help, Charles," Erik said with a small smile. "It was enjoyable being with you. I'll look forward to next week. Until then."

Charles nodded. "Until then." He didn't make his way towards his house until Erik's back disappeared along with the last of sunlight.

The brunet was happy enough to ignore the sight of his mother a sobbing mess on the sofa in the living room and the sound of Kurt bellowing at her for being pathetic. In fact, he was able to close his eyes peacefully and slip into slumber within a moment, Erik's face and voice the last things he registered.

Until then, Erik.


	3. Creating a friemdship with Scott Summers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of insight to Erik and Charles's past. Otherwise, Scott-centric.

The days passed rather quickly ever since Kurt's departure and Erik's entrance in Charles's life. Before Charles realized it, he was looking forward to Monday; he would dress quicker, wolf down his breakfast and them be out of the manor before Raven could even blink. Hell, Charles seemed to be glowing with a ridiculous amount of positive energy that could make Teletubbies look suicidal. Even Emma backed away when she spotted Charles quite literally skipping towards the school.

Though Raven missed watching America's Next Top Model with Charles (read: bullying him into watching with her), she was glad he finally found something better than studying with Hank McCoy or Emma, or run around the track field with Darwin, or help Jean and Ororo with their Art Club projects, or even so much as breathe next to that weird Alex Summers. Not that Erik was any much saner - Raven knew just how insane Lensherr was. She doesn't even know what it is that her brother does with Lensherr when they're together but if Charles always comes home with a blinding smile, then she was sure Lensherr wasn't trying to sell him off to a slave ring in Russia or something.

Not many people know it but Raven was what you would call a friend to Lensherr, ever since middle school in fact. They don't get along like normal buddies, though they use each other to their advantage and had stuck around only for that reason. That and they share the same sense of crude humour. She's also aware of how smitten Lensherr can get when it comes to one Charles Xavier.

Though he didn't show it, Erik knew Charles had a not-so-tiny crush on him - let's be honest, Charles was never a master in subtlety. So Erik made it his mission to make sure Charles would keep on liking him, at first for the ego boost but later because he wanted their crush to be mutual and something more important than a middle school fancying. Before he knew it, Erik was in love. If it wasn't love, then what Erik did four years ago was just pure idiotic heroism.

When the end of the school day rolled around and Charles said his goodbyes to her, Raven watched as Charles and Erik delved into their own world of heart-shaped ink blots and origami pieces, a satisfied smile on her face.

Now, as for Logan...

***

 

"Erik?"

"Hmm?"

"Who's your other assistant?"

Charles knew Erik had another assistant aside from Charles, what with the already inked pages he would spot some days and the trivial little ornaments sometimes left on the dining table. For one, there were far too many pages for them to be done by one person (and Erik hated inking) and when Charles asked about the ornaments, he said they were small souvenirs from a friend who happened to be his assistant too. Charles had let that topic go for days now until he saw new ornaments littering around the kitchen counters.

 "Scott Summers," Erik answered Charles question, still inking.

Alex would always complain about his older brother whenever they got into a sibling quarrel, with the usual insults being "asshole" and "arrogant bastard". Yet, Charles would often see them around the neighborhood, hanging around shops and sharing jokes, being brotherly in a shorter term. While Alex was (extremely) blunt and avoided by many for that, Scott was one of the most renowned people on the school with a fan club of his own; he was the second most popular person in fact, the first being Raven. He, however, had a reputation of being somewhat of a lady's man, always being seen flirting with girls from all years.

But then again, these were just rumours.

 "What's Scott Summers like?" Charles asked.

 "He's a cool guy, I guess, with a bit of a short fuse but he's actually just really shy and is using his temper to hide his blush," Erik said. "He's coming over tomorrow - he usually does every Wednesday and Thursday. I'm sure you two will get along."

 Charles nodded and got back to work, only for his stomach to protest noisily. The brunet blushed and hoped Erik was somehow also rather deaf. Unfortunately, Erik's eyes snapped up to him with an apologetic glint.

 "Ah, looks like we worked until it's really late," Erik noted. "We also missed dinner. What kind of a host am I? Are you okay with pasta?"

 Charles shook his head vehemently. "You don't need to do anything. I'm probably just thirsty."

 "Please, I'm in need of something to eat too, and pasta is the only thing I can make aside from sandwiches. No, no - sit down while I prepare everything." Erik's hand on Charles' shoulder froze Charles's vocal chords, it seemed, and made the room a few degrees warmer. And so Erik got to work on his pasta, taking out the pack of pasta and canned tomato sauce from the overhead cabinet, then pulled out a pan from the cabinet under it. Whilst waiting, Charles went back to his inking.

 Not even reaching ten minutes later, the smell of food clouded the air and the hissing of failed cooking followed. Charles whipped his head around to see Erik standing over a pan of sizzling smoke, a glass of water in hand.

 "Oops, it burned," Erik said dully. Charles leapt to his feet and pushed the dazed boy out of harm's way. Inside the pan was blackened tomato sauce...Charles now doubted Erik's intelligence and his cooking skills. What came next were strings of expletives from a screaming brunet.

 

 

In the end, Charles fixed dinner with egg toasts with strips of turkey hams, a slice of cheese, sheets of lettuce and circles of tomatoes in between accompanied with simple vegetable soup from a can. At the first bite, Erik hummed in approval and gave Charles a thumbs up.

 "You're a good cook, Charles," Erik complimented. If Charles was red before, then he was positively scarlet and steaming.

 "It's nothing big, just a simple dinner recipe I got from the cook at my house. I've got a notebook full of other recipes too," Charles explained. "Speaking of cooking, Erik, why did you burn the tomato sauce?"

 Erik went quiet for a while, twirling his spoon between his long fingers, watching the light bounce delicately off of the metallic surface. And then Charles got a buat what might be wrong, and so pinched himself for it. "I forget things, sometimes," Erik said slowly. "Small things like where the bathroom is or the order in which I should dress. That time, I forgot how to cook pasta."

 Silence enveloped the room. The wind breezed in through the open window, attempting to air out the foul smell of charred tomatoes. "Is your head okay?" Charles asked gingerly. Afraid to pressure Erik, he hesitated to ask his next question. "You...remember what happened, right?"

 Erik nodded. "I saved Charles Xavier from dying. I remember that now, but not when you talked to me at the school gardens." He looked up and gave Charles a reassuring smile when he saw the utter guilt in the soulful blue eyes. "It's not your fault - I never thought it as such. Though it made me hold back two years of school, we get to finally talk to each other, right?"

 His words were supposed to sooth, not burn, and yet Charles let out a shaky laugh, finding the tingling burn funny yet painful. "Yeah, I finally get to talk to you, my friend." The title felt comforting to him, telling him that if he can't have Erik to hold him like he wanted him to, then he at least has his companionship. Whatever will turn out, he'll still have a part of Erik.

 A finger brushed his cheekbone to wipe a stray tear, and Charles' breath stuttered. His blue flitted over to the side to lock onto green ones. He hadn't noticed Erik getting up from his seat and kneeling next to his, a hand gently wiping away guilty tears. Erik's hand was large and smooth, but cold...Charles remembered his father telling him that people with cold hands are the kindest of people, because that means their heat is centered in their hearts. Charles closed his eyes and let Erik rub circles on his back, his own body heat warming up Erik's cold hand while the coldness lifted the stifling emotions off of his shoulders.

*** 

And so tomorrow arrived and Charles was applying tones onto pages diligently while Erik inked when the doorbell rang. "Summers?" Charles thought aloud, anticipation in his voice. He didn't think he was ready to meet such a famous guy while he was dressed sloppily - sleeves rolled up and sweater abandoned, because apparently Erik loves his heater. Said guy abandoned his work to answer the door. A while passed after the door closed and the sound of conversation filtered into the kitchen, getting louder as footsteps drew the voices nearer.

 "He's doing the toning. You can do inking with me." That was Erik's voice. The one after was of a stranger's.

 "Cool. I'll do just that."

 Following after Erik was a boy nearly as tall as Erik, a shock of blonde hair on his head and a pair of eyes behind dark ruby shades (who wears shades in the evening?!) which were revealed to be a light shade of brown, unlike Alex's clear blue eyes. Scott Summers was totally not like what Erik told Charles of him.

 Meanwhile,Scott was doing his own bit of sizing up Charles. What he found seemed unsatisfactory, for he frowned as he dropped onto the seat next to Erik and said "He looks like a pile of gangly limbs and trouble."

 Right, that was rather mean. Sure, Charles may not be the best looking guy around - what with his too-big blue eyes with inch-long lashes, his nose which is slightly upturned at the tip (piggy nose, Raven once said as a little girl), his fat red lips, not to mention his deathly pale complexion - but judging his capability by sight was like saying all blondes are dumb, or all Asians are smart. So far, Scott Summers hadn't pulled such a good impression on himself.

 "Well, he kind of looks like Jack Skellington. But a lot shorter." Erik, that was not helping. "But he's the best at what he's doing, and he's a good company. I mean, you don't find anyone who knows all of Doctor Who trivia info like he knows the alphabet!"

 Scott considered Erik's words, once again observing Charles who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Finally, Scott huffed out a breath and grabbed everything needed to start inking. "Fine, but I won't help him if he gets stuck."

 "O-okay," Charles said, continuing with cutting the tones as Erik took back his seat.

 

 

As Charles later found out, Scott was actually a very kind and helpful albeit shy guy who would disguise his best intentions with arrogant remarks. Like when Charles was actually putting the wrong tone for a scene, Scott indirectly pointed out that he should've used the tone number 32 instead, saying that "Charles must a dimwit if he can misread 32 as 26". Scott also loved compliments, as shown how his head ballooned five times larger when Charles remarked his neat and quick work.

 "I could never finish inking that much in such little time," Charles said, eyeing Scott's pile of inked pages. The guy snorted and straightened his back.

 "Well, of course! I've been doing this since I met Erik when I was a freshman and his comic was gaining popularity. But seeing you work, I think you'll someday match my productivity once you've got the hang of it."

 "Wow, thanks Scott!"

 "...That wasn't a compliment," Scott mumbled, the tips of his ears reddening.

 The trio took a break nearing six-thirty, wherein they migrated to the living room to watch some tv shows about art and the like. The purpose was to get some tips on how to improve the art for Erik's comic, but they got sidetracked when a certain show proposed a small memory game for kids. The woman on the screen told the audience to draw a picture of different objects from memory and see how accurate their drawings are to determine if their memory and drawing skills are how food they think, as well as to see if there is a link between a person's ability to memorize and their artistic skills.

 "Hey, we should do this!" Charles had suggested. The two quickly followed and waited for the lady to call out the name of the object they had to draw. A dog, a person and a house later, each boy could see each others drawing capabilities; Erik's drawings were, as expected, very cartoon-ish in nature, while Charles tend to take his time making his drawings as close to real life, complete with shadings and exact angles. As for Scott...

 "Scott, you can't draw," Erik said bluntly. Scott's ear twitched at that.

 "Not everyone is an artist, okay?!"

 "I'm sure Scott has a talent in somewhere else," Charles chimed in, trying to placate a flustered blond.

 "Well, he actually does, which is why he's here in the first place."

 "Damn right, Lensherr! Show him what you mean!" Erik handed Scott a drawing of the hero, not inked yet and upon a white background. "First, I'm going to ink him - " He did so with precision and speed akin to a hawk. " - then I add the background." The next part was shocking to say the least - what was once a plain paper had been transformed into a flower-patterned background akin to a bouquet of majestic roses. It looked like someone had printed the image black and white, what with the accurate details of the petals' wrinkles and folds. Charles wasn't ashamed he was gaping.

 "You're the one who did the backgrounds?" Charles uttered in awe. Admiration twinkles brightly in his eyes. "I thought Erik did it on Photoshop!"

 "The only thing Scott can draw are flowers, apparently," Erik explained. "And abstract patterns. Because I tasked him with adding the atmosphere through background, sometimes he goes overboard with just how much flair he put in in the scene." Charles thought it couldn't be that bad, but then Erik showed him discarded pages that had backgrounds done by Scott...Let's just say the hero looked terribly obnoxious in his flowery glory.

 

 

"Ugh, I feel like drinking iced coffee," Scott said loudly when the three of them finished their break and were resuming their respective jobs. Brown eyes spied a mop of brown hair. "Charles, go buy me iced coffee."

 The said brunet's head snapped up, brows furrowed in mild annoyance. "What? Why me? And where would I get iced coffee?"

 "Because I'm older than you - if you haven't noticed, Charles, you're the youngest here, since despite Erik being a freshman and all he's two years your senior. And so you should be the errand boy. About where you'll get it, there's a vending machine downstairs in the lobby - you can't possibly miss a hulking red block full of beverages."

 Now that Charles remembered, at the apartment's lobby were three different vending machines, one a large red one and the other two housed snacks. He thoughts about how lucky Erik was in a way, since he didn't have to go all the way to a minimarket to get a snack; he could just take the elevator five floors down and then ride up again. Sighing, Charles excused himself to get Scott's "much needed" iced coffee. Once downstairs, Charles sauntered up towards the red vending machine and inserted ample amount of money to buy three iced coffee (because Scott is not special and so he shouldn't be the only one snacking). Charles sighed again and turned around when he saw the blond head to his right.

 "Scott, if you were coming, there's no use in making me an errand boy, is there?"

 Said boy jumped a few feet up and stumbled out of his hiding spot. "I-I was just making sure you know how to use the machine!" he claimed, scratching his head and looking around the room. "And I bet someone as tiny as you can't defend yourself this late in the evening if someone was to mug you!"

 Scott Summers was too damn cute, Charles decided.

 

 

When Scott had gone home and it was just Erik and Charles, he decided to ask Erik the questions he had been wanting to ask.

 "You said the characters in your comic are inspired by different people, right? And that Scott was an inspiration?"

 "Yeah."

 "I guess the hero's charming personality is a product of Scott's charisma - "

 "No. Scott is the inspiration for the heroine."

 Charles laughed at that...at first. But he recalled the similarities between the two: hard working, fussy, very shy...Charles nearly fell out of his chair.

When Charles caught up with Alex the next day, he recalled his experience with Scott the night before. He commented on how cool he seemed, as well as how sweet and adorable he was being. Alex commented that Charles sounded like he was smitten with Scott, to which Charles strongly denied. Just then, the screaming of a flock of girls flew through the open window, where Scott was leaning on the windowsill to watch the girls below.

"Scott! You're so cool!"

"Wave to us!"

"Oh my gosh, I think he's looking at me!"

Scott pulled a cocky grin and said "Relax ladies, your turn to get some of this hot stuff will come. Soon."

The cheers and screams and squeals erupted into the air. When the crowd's cheering escalated, Scott instead buried his face in the crook of his elbow, the tips of his ears reddened brightly and his shoulders shook.

"He always says those kind of cheesy stuff and then get embarrassed," Alex commented, watching with dispassionate eyes. Beside him, Charles shared the same look.

"So not cool," Charles muttered.


	4. Death by annoyance in the hands of Alex Summers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is Alex-centric, with a Logan/Charles scene and a terrible misunderstanding on Logan's part.

Charles had said that he knew someone who was a very good material for his comic. When Erik had asked who, Charles said it was the younger Summers brother, Alex. He hadn't heard much from that kid, as Erik tend to isolate himself from people in general, but according to Charles Alex was always flocked with people who would chase him around like Prince Charming. If Scott could round up admirers to fill a whole football stadium, then Alex could too, Erik immediately assumed.

Erik was told to meet Alex at the gardens, as that's what Charles had told Alex to meet Erik at earlier this morning. Meanwhile, Charles said that he had some business with Logan (that scary guy from the Drama Club) regarding something personal. From the looks of it, the two seemed close. Too close. Too damn close

Erik bit his tongue and waved back at Charles as he retreated into the school building.

Damn scary guys who can reel in Charles's attention.

Waiting in the gardens was a very quiet affair. Students who dared step into Erik's current "territory" would receive a glare from the shark-like boy and would scurry away like mice from cats. The only interesting things about the gardens were the flower bushes, the noble oak tree and the cobblestone path that winded around flowers like a lithe serpent. Erik wasted no time in sketching what he could from where he was seated against the school building, trying to include the scenery in a part of his upcoming chapter. Perhaps the hero could take the heroine to the park, or maybe a butterfly garden? Greenhouses sound good, but wouldn't it be too humid for a romantic date? That could lead to a humorous situation, though.

Shouting and rapid stomps snapped Erik out of his reverie. He turned his head to the source of the sound, trying to figure out who the people may be. Now that he thought about it, Alex was running really late. Muttering under his breath in his mother tongue, Erik stashed his drawing equipments in his bag and waited. Judging from how the yelling was getting nearer, perhaps it's Alex Summers and his throng of admirers - that would explain a lot. Curious, Erik walked away from his spot, tip-toeing nearer to the corner where he could mow hear the yelling clearer. A woman's voice rang out shrilly when Erik was about to round the corner.

"Stop right there, Alex Summers!" it was followed by shouting from men and other women. Wow. Alex Summers was such a Casanova. Erik decided he should be a witness to Alex's chase, so he poked his head around the corner to see male and female students behind a blonde boy -

No...That was not what he saw. There were less people, for one, and -

Alex Summers was being chased by teachers and security guards.

For once, Erik doubted Charles's judgment.

The Summers boy noticed Erin at the corner and seemed to gain speed until he was feet away from colliding to Erik's face. At the last moment, Erik pulled back and Alex took a turn towards him and pressed his back flat on the wall next to Erik, all the while the sound of an angry mob whizzes past them. For a while, the only sounds heard were the disappearing hollers of angry men and women and the harsh panting of Alex in Erik's ear.

"Man, that was too damn close," Alex wheezed out. He pushed himself off of the wall and went to hunch over over a patch of daisies. His hair was tousled and his clothing a mess, not to mention his foul mouth which kept cursing every single teacher and guards who chased him. Alex didn't even seem to notice Erik behind him. Erik decided it was time to let himself known when Alex was about to walk away.

"Alex Summers?" Erik said. The boy helped and jumped around to stare at Erik wide-eyed, hands poised in a mock kung-fu pose. When he saw who it really was, he let out a large breath of air and sagged. "I'm Erik Lensherr. We were supposed to meet up here minutes ago."

At first Alex looked as lost as a fool, but then he gasped and hit his forehead. "Ah! Yeah, yeah, now I remember. Sorry, man - those crazy fucks had been chasing me around the school."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "And why would they do that?"

"Uh, I may or may not have tried to smuggle Fred into the school premises." Erik's frown deepened.

"Who's Fred?"

"The local drug dealer," Alex drawled as if it was obvious. "Everyone knows him!"

Right. So Alex Summers is a drug junkie (?).

"Why would you try to smuggle a drug dealer into the school?"

Alex opened his mouth but paused, then brought a finger up to waggle it in front of Erik's face. Then he leaned into Erik's personal space, much to his displeasure. "That's a secret," Alex whispered, dragging out the words to add a mysterious tone to his voice. That only managed to blow warm air in Erik's face.

"Right, so are we going to do this?" Erik asked gruffly, pushing Alex off of him. He walked back to his previous spot by the wall un front of the oak tree and headed towards the school building...And stopped when Alex wasn't following him. He turned around to see Alex breeze past him and walk ahead. When Erik didn't follow, it was Alex's turn to look at Erik disbelievingly.

"You don't need to pull that face, you know. Your thoughts are really obvious," Alex pointed out. Did Erik wear his annoyance on his sleeve?

"Right," Erik said slowly. "Sorry about that."

"It's not wrong, but disturbing," Alex elaborated. "I mean, I know being with the most popular guy in school must be really great and all, but you don't have to be so obvious about it. You look like a pervy monkey."

Okay. Not only did Alex Summers disregard social manners and the concept of personal space, his head was also bigger than fucking sun.

Charles desperately needed to have his judgment on people reassessed.

 

***

At the first knock on the door, Logan had called out his expected guest to enter the empty classroom. Charles head poked through and soon the rest of his body followed. The short brunet trotted over to where Logan was perched on the window sill, taking a seat on the chair in front of the gruff boy so he could face him without tilting his head up so much. From this angle, Charles looked so innocent - cute to a fault - what with his round blue eyes, adorable nose and luscious cherry red lips. Logan cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Thanks for coming on a short notice," Logan said.

"No problem, my friend," Charles replied, beaming. "I'll do my best to help with whatever it is that's troubling you."

Logan hummed in acknowledgement. He leaned back onto the glass behind him to relax himself. "See, Chuck, since I'm the head of the Drama Club, a drama group in the city had asked me to coach some littluns some basic drama stuff. Well, since it'll look good on my college app, I took the offer. Thing is I'm not exactly the friendliest, looks or behavior, according to children."

Charles frowned and tilted his head slightly. "You're not that bad, Logan."

"I once talked to Luke Cage's daughter, Danielle, and she bawled her eyes out when I asked her what her name was."

Luke Cage wad the P.E. teacher and his daughter Danielle was known to have the guts as strong as his. If Danielle cried at the sight and sound of Logan, then this must be serious.

"Okay," Charles said. "Maybe it's because of the scowl...Yeah, definitely the scowl. We should fix that. Erik looks a lot better without his scowl."

Logan perked up at this. "Which reminds me," he said. "You're awfully close to Lensherr nowadays."

Charles blushed. (Praise the God who blessed him with the sight.) The brunet laughed nervously and scratched his ear. "W-we've been rather close, yes. We're friends now."

"Raven told me you've been at his house a lot now," Logan said with narrowed eyes.

"His apartment is nice, with a homely feeling to it."

"What do you do there, anyway?"

Charles thought back on the inking and toning sessions over the past weeks since the end of October. Though Erik had in a way employed him to use his endless ideas and inking skills, Charles had also used Erik's cooking skills and companionship to fill in the void his parents had left him. Charles would sneak in looks at Erik's profile when he wasn't aware, and he would ask small, trivial questions about the boy when there's an opening - by now, Charles knew that Erik's favorite color was blue, he was born and raised in Berlin before moving to the US, and that he is both left and right handed. But what do they call this relationship?

"...I guess we just take advantage of each other's mind and body," Charles settled on saying.

Logan nearly fell forward and crack his head open.

"The guy's using with you?!" Logan all but screamed at the (enormous) revelation. "He takes you to his bedroom?!" The gall of that perverted shark!

Charles thought about all of the work Erik and he (and sometimes Scott) had done together - some days were done in Erik's bedroom (Charles nearly fainted that time) but the other days... "We usually do it in the dining room, actually."

Logan resisted the urge to bolt out of the room and skin Lensherr alive. And make leather boots out of him. And sell him on the black market. As well as his internal organs.

"Although," Charles continued. "Scott sometimes come over and help us with things. Things are way more fun when he's around, to be honest."

So apparently Erik is a kinky dickhead who likes kitchen sex and would invite Scott Summers for a threesome with him and Charles. That fucking son of a birch had taken advantage of the pure, unsuspecting Charles.

Now Logan has a top priority enemy aside from Creed.

"That aside," Charles said, waving a hand to put the earlier conversation aside. "Let's focus on you and your image. Since you make it your mission to beat every guy who looks at you tue wrong way to a bloody pulp, I suggest we try to teach you some bit of, uh, kindness? Yes, kindness."

Logan forced Charles's earlier words to the back of his head and focused on what he was saying now. His fist, however, was rather permanent. "Kindness?"

"Like giving compliments and greetings and consolation. You know, like a proper gentleman."

Logan looked skeptical. "Charles, I don't know how they do it back in England, but I'm sure being a gentleman is not an easy thing here."

"And I'm not sure about Canada, but generally speaking being a freelance thug is not a very good occupation to have," Charles retorted. Logan sighed.

"Alright, Chuck - teach me on how to be gentlemanly so I could stop making babies cry."

Charles grinned in triumph. He straightened his posture and folded his arms. "First of all, you have to know how to compliment a person, lord or lady. So the first exercise would be giving compliments. Everytime you receive a compliment, you thank the person, say something modest and give your own saying back. I'll start - your strength is admirable, Logan, my friend! You must workout regularly, I presume."

The brunet stared at Logan expectantly when the burly guy didn't respond. Feeling pressured, Logan scratched his odd beard and said "Erm, uh, thanks Chuck. I, uh, I'm not that strong, really." Logan paused, troubled. There were many things Logan can use to compliment Charles but all of those things would give away his feelings for the petite brunet (and they sound rather lewd). So he settled on the most harmless one. "You're very smart, Charles. I don't think you even need to go to school."

Charles laughed airily, the sound light and delightful. "Why, you are being too kind, my friend. I am not on the league of the geniuses of our kind like Hank for example..."

And so Charles's compliments sessions went on.

  
***

 

"Look, Alex! I got the new bag I've been dying to get!" Angel Salvadore squealed, holding up a hot pink crocodile skin bag. "What do you think? Cute, right?"

Alex hummed and smiled sincerely. "It looks really nice, Angel, though it's also the same model as my grandma's bag she bought last week. It really suits her, what with her age and out-of-date sense of fashion - "

The sound of Angel bludgeoning Alex with a leather bag was heard throughout the school.

Erik had followed Alex around as he plowed terror through the whole of XSGY. Alex proclaimed himself a perfect human being, what with his extremely "considerateness" and his unusual ability to "read between the lines and be empathetic", not to mention how "well-loved" he was among his peers because of his "gentle, understanding and sensitive nature". Erik held the urge to bash the blond's head into a nearby wall.

And now, after being beaten up by a furious Angel, Ms. Moira MacTaggert came to instruct Alex to deliver a stack of papers to the teacher's office. When she spotted Erik with the idiot, she went on to give him the other half of the pile.

"You should help him while you're at it Lensherr," Ms. MacTaggert had said in her irritating Scottish accent. Erik hand hid his deadly glare as she walked away.

"Rub that look off of your face, Lensherr. You look lime you can start World War III with it," Alex commented flippantly. Erik pulled his leg before it could shoot out and roundhouse-kick the shithead in the face. "You might as well enjoy the walk. I mean, when else can you stroll around the school with a pile of papers - "

"Alexander Summers!"

That was the battle cry of a mad Sean Cassidy, a sophomore choir boy. Sean had always been a rather funny guy with a lively personality and friendly spirit. For Alex to make the school joker's as red as his fiery red hair was a remarkable achievement.

"Oh shit! It's Cassidy!" Alex squeaked. "I glued him to his chair this morning so he has to,wear the janitor's pants!"

Sure enough, Sean had a murky green pants two size two big for his skinny frame tied around his waist with a rope.

Erik suddenly felt the papers in his arms get heavier, as it turns out that Alex had dumped his share of papers onto his pile. "I need to run away now," Alex explained before Erik could burst his eardrums. "I'll come back for them later, until then...I put my trust in you, comrade." Alex took off like the wind, with Sean a screaming banshee at his heels.

By the end of lunchtime, Erik's pile didn't get any lighter.

  
***

 

"Sorry, Logan. I promised Erik I'll walk home with him. Tomorrow, perhaps?"

...Was what Charles said when Logan had asked him if he wanted to get a bite somewhere. With Erik, Logan can't be sure about Charles's remaining innocence.

Damn scary guys who can reel in Charles's attention.

 

 

When Charles found Erik, he was mulling about the school gates, a pinched/constipated expression on his sharp face. "What's wrong, my friend?" Charles asked worriedly. "You seem very troubled."

"Alex is what's wrong," Erik practically growled. Charles blinked in surprise.

"Ah...Was he really that intolerable?"

"Insufferable," Erik said. "Inhumane. The Devil reborn. And when I was looking for him just now, he was giving everyone at the basketball team brain trauma. McCoy especially."

"Yeah, that," Charles agreed. "He's the substitute at the boys basketball team, bit he lacks sportsmanship." In fact, Charles had been how brutal Alex was with a basketball. He was rather sure basketball was not a contact sport. "By the way, I need to get something from my biology class. Do you mind waiting here or will you come with me? It's really cold outside."

"I'll come with you," Erik decided without hesitation. Charles lead him back to the building, where they crossed paths with Logan. The wolf-like guy greeted Charles with warmth...and he bared his teeth at Erik menacingly before shouldering him and stalking away.

Interesting.

As they passed the music department, the sweet soprano sound of a violin flitted through one of the music rooms, a soft melody like crystalline stars in the night winter sky, lighting up and warming the once freezing bellow of the frosty wind which lost its loneliness as the stars guide it back to where it belonged. Erik closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in the delicate violin solo.

He had heard this song before. Somewhere...someday...

"I like this song," Charles's voice cut through. "I composed it for the music competition back in middle school; Alex and I also played it for events and competitions earlier in the year, where he'd play the violin and I'd be at the piano."

"Is that so," Erik said. No wonder it seemed to familiar. It was played at the first day of school. Charles had composed the song and played it with -

Wait. A. Second.

The room where the violin played was to his right. Erik opened the door and swore his magical world of a lost winter and crystalline stars shattered.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Charles spoke up again. "Alex is a violin prodigy. He won lots of competitions since when he was six. He even received scholarship because of his talent."

Erik should be impressed with Alex's achievements, but he can't help but wait for the blond's facade to drop any moment to reveal an ill-mannered dim-witted baboon.


	5. Every rose has its thorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles spends a quality family time when Kurt visits for a while. Erik's situation isn't any much better. Lovely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a role today! I've been staying at home all day so this is the only interesting activity to do.
> 
> Warning: attempted rape.

Lunch time was very much appreciated as Charles couldn't wait to escape his boring maths class. Though for some magical reason, Alex managed to entertain himself with pens without disrupting the class - now that's a first for him. Charles had invited Erik to lunch at the gardens, to which Erik had enthusiastically accepted until Charles mentioned Alex. He had to be coaxed out of a locked classroom until Alex solemnly swore to not bother him, whatever that means in his dictionary.

That promise only lasted for four minutes and thirty-three seconds before Erik sat on his hands before he started ripping his hair.

"Speaking of which, Erik, do you have any plans for the weekend?" Charles inquired. An animated film by Studio Ghibli was just released three days ago, and from the looks of it it might help with Erik's current block.

Erik's mouth curled downward in disappointment. "I'd like to say no, but unfortunately I do. I'm sorry, Charles." Though Charles assured Erik that he didn't mind, he couldn't help the spike of disappointment he felt,

"Oh, but I'm free," Alex piped up. The brunet's face lit up.

"That's great! I was thinking of watching this new animated - "

A cellphone rang then, the ringtone a series of monotonous beeps. From the way Charles cringed, it must be his. He then excused himself to answer the call. Leaving Erik with Alex. Erik's right eye twitched when Alex opened his mouth.

"I asked Scott about you the other day," the blond started. "He said you're a good person, though a bit moody and entirely weird. He also said you may or may not be involved with some shady people, like maybe you know Klaus Schmidt the Underground King who is rumored to live here." Erik's fingers twitched erratically at the name and he stiffened. "But all that's just rumours, like what most of you are. Now that I've personally witnessed your interactions, I think you're a fairly good person."

The two boys could faintly hear Charles's murmured conversation muffled by the loud chatters from the cafeteria and the playgrounds. Feeling odd, Erik narrowed his eyes, muscles still strung tightly.

"What's your point, Summers."

Alex merely shrugged and turned back to his sandwich. "Charles has enough troubles at home. He shouldn't have more at school."

Nothing was clearer. "I don't follow."

Before Alex could say more, Charles jogged back to their spot. His lips were set in a grim line, his eyes were distant. When he faced Alex his tone was sad and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Alex. It seems that my mother orders that I should be home straight afterschool." It was obvious Charles was holding back a waterfall due to his fumbling hands. And Alex, to Erik's surprise, didn't push until he fell.

"'S cool. I'll just play with Scott then." A pause. "But Scott said he was going to the karaoke bar with his friends. I guess I'll ask Hank out."

This time, Charles's smile was enthusiastic. "You've been rather close with Hank nowadays."

"Well, he is in the basketball team. We bump into each other a lot. I also take him around the city after basketball practice, or just when I feel like it. He's a cool guy - really quiet, but fun to be with."

The trio spent their lunchtime talking about the genius Hank McCoy, whose father was a close friend of the Summers brothers' father. For a moment, all shadows stayed behind them.

 

***

It was mid November and winter break was still weeks away...so why was Kurt lounging in the living room as if he hadn't left the manor at all? Charles was about to accompany Raven in watching a replay of an episode of America's Next Top Model when he froze at the door way, Raven too next to him, at the sight of Kurt reading a book at the sofa and his mother breathing whisky on the armchair. Kurt's head lifted up when he finally felt the two teens' presence, and smiled lecherously at Charles, book forgotten.

"Why, Charles! You've grown so much in such a short time," Kurt purred appreciatively. He then noticed Raven's amber orbs burning holes onto his skull. "It's good to see you too, Raven."

"What are you doing here?" Raven hissed. She walked around Charles's frozen form and shielded him from Kurt's molesting eyes. "You're not supposed to be here until winter break."

Kurt placed his closed book onto the mahogany coffee table. He hummed in mock thought as he leaned back and laced his fingers on his lap. "I'll let your rudeness slide for now. The reason I'm here is because I finished my work as quickly as I could so that I could be present for dear Charles's birthday. You'll be fifteen soon, yes? Oh, how time flies! It felt like it was just yesterday that I first saw you as a little boy."

"Mother," Charles said, still stunned. The strawberry blonde woman at the armchair turned a heavy head at her son's voice. "Is this why you told me to cancel all my plans and 'help you get rid of your headache'?"

Sharon Xavier raised a delicate shoulder draped in scarlet silk and dropped it tiredly. "I wasn't lying about the headache, sweet. Though I also want you to spend time with your father - "

"He's not anyone's father," Raven interjected sharply. Sharon's face told dismay, her blue eyes sad.

"Raven - "

"Do you realize what he's been doing when you're not sober enough to know your own name?" Raven spoke with a dangerously low tone. Her finger was pointed accusingly to an unamused Kurt. "He's a filthy leech, a two-faced dirty old perv who preys after young boys like - "

A heavy hand connected with Raven's pale cheek and a loud crack resounded through the room. Raven was sprawled on the floor, stunned into silence, and before she knew what was happening Kurt was dragging her out of the room and down the corridor, and only when she was in Brian Xavier's old study did Raven scream.

Charles, teary eyed, made to follow his sister only to have a weak hand holding his forearm. He turned to see Sharon's eyes, the same baby blues making contact, and then he was enveloped into a resigned hug. His mother smelt strongly of alcohol, her body impossibly frail and thin in his arms. He remembered a time, when he was a very young boy, when Brian was still around to tousle his hair and lift him up high, when Sharon smelt like fresh lavenders and she would flower him with kisses all over his face and she would radiate warmth that made him want to never leave her embrace.

The woman in his arms then was the ghost of Sharon Xavier.

"I want you to have a father," Sharon once explained to him when she told him the news of her engagement to Dr. Kurt Marko. "You're too young to be left fatherless...And I need someone, darling. I miss Daddy, but without him I'm very lonely. Mr. Marko had been good to us - to me. I know he'll be good to you."

The next month, Sharon was Sharon Xavier-Marko. The very next day after that Cain moved into the Xavier manor. A week later Raven was adopted. On Charles's tenth fall, he received his first fist from Cain. By the time Charles was twelve, Kurt started to see him differently.

Kurt was very kind to Charles, kinder than he was to his own son. The little Charles used to think it was all very nice, as if the soul of his late father lived on in his warmhearted colleague and now stepfather. He found out about Cain's secret beatings not long after Cain moved in, the poor boy's muffled cry akin to the sound of broken china. Charles felt bad for Cain and thought Kurt should be as good to Cain as he was to Charles - he should pat his head and praise him when he did well, and tuck him in every night, and come to every one of his school shows. A few years later, he had wished he had received the beatings instead. Kurt's attention was solely on Charles now, his mother neglected which resulted in her depression and later alcoholism.

He held the woman who had made his life miserable for nearly seven years. He should despise her. But thinking about her sadness, hasn't she had enough? And she's his mother.

But wasn't Kurt supposed to be his father, and Cain his brother?

Not long into their silence, Sharon started coughing violently. She leaned heavily onto Charles, the coughs ripping out of her throat painfully that her knees buckled. Panicked, Charles screamed for one of the house staff to come. A maid hurried in a second later and assured Charles that she will make sure Sharon was taken care of. The last Charles saw of his mother was her bloodshot eyes watery and her mouth the shadow of a once beautiful red bow.

"Sharon's health is getting worse by the day." The sound of Kurt's voice had Charles back away from the doorway to stand beside the couch, hackles raised. Kurt raised his brows at his reaction, amused. As he talked, he stalked closer to Charles, making the boy skitter away from the predator in front of him. "I wonder how long she'll last, considering her weakening mental and physical state, partly but mainly due to her obsession with her whisky. She's already suffering an unimaginable amount of sadness...Shouldn't we make it easier for her?"

Charles paled at the implication Kurt was saying. He shook his head - no, he wouldn't. He wouldn't. Thinking of his mother, he also thought about his missing sister, her cries had long been silenced. "Where's Raven?" Charles demanded, voice trembling from barely repressed fear.

"Don't worry, sweet. She's taken care of and save with the servants. Now, then..." Kurt seized Charles's wrist and pulled th boy so he was pressed up to his front. The grin Kurt wore was menacing, sick, dirty. A hand had already snaked around his body and settled on the small of Charles's back, and Charles just wanted to cry and scream and vomit - he wanted to scratch the grin off of the vile man's face, then he'll poke holes into him with a poker, and then bury him below six feet so his soul will reach the deepest level of hell and as far away from heaven. "Aww, don't scowl, dearest," Kurt purred, placing a thumb at the corner of Charles's mouth, rubbing there until the pad slipped into Charles's red mouth. "You look the best when you're in my arms."

Kurt dove forward and captured Charles's mouth. He swallowed the boy's cries, shoving his tongue to ravish the sweet cavern and moaned obscenely as Charles whimpered. Gathering his courage, Charles clamped his teeth down onto the slithering tongue. Kurt bellowed in pain but recovered quickly to deliver a backhand across Charles's face. He then gripped the boy's shoulders and bit down - hard - onto his neck. Charles yelled out in pain only to be cut short with Kurt's tongue again, and he was falling down, down, down, and his back hit the sofa behind him and hands were all over him - up his shirt, yanking down his pants, palming his bottom - a finger against his - 

He screamed. He screamed and screamed and screamed until he was sure he was voiceless. He scrambled about the close space, his fist connecting with something hard and he heard a pained grunt. As the weight lifted, he pulled his pants up and bolted out of the room, grabbing his backpack near the doorway, and out of the manor to run under the orange sky. The orange blurred into purple which darkened to midnight blue, and Charles bathed himself in his tears as he tried to escape the darkness.

 

***

 

His phone rang when he had just finished his European history essay. The caller ID flashed "Charles" and the picture of the grinning lad filled the screen. Erik picked up on the third ring, answering with a monotone "Erik Lensherr here. Earth to Charles."

There was only panting for a while, and Erik thought that Charles's phone might have been stolen, and this might be a prank or a cold call from a deranged killer. Just as he was about to hang up, a tiny voice spoke up. "H-hi, Erik. This i-is C-Charles."

The terrible wobble ion his voice made Erik's mind more alert and he sat up straighter, his free hand clenched. "Charles, what's wrong?"

A long pause. He was afraid Charles had left. "I...I was...watching Titanic with Raven."

"...Charles, that's just bad."

"No, really."

"I know how sad Titanic is. I cried too - I watched it seven times and cried everytime. This is not a Titanic crying."

"Erik. Please. Just...just believe my lie for once."

Erik yapped his pen as he contemplated. "Alright, you're crying because of Rose and Jack."

Charles let out a relieved sigh. "They're both idiots."

"You don't say."

"They could've at least find another nearby floating debris to hold onto. Jack didn't have to die."

"Jack didn't have to die," Erik parroted.

"What are you doing right now?"

Erik glanced at his door. He could just barely make out the drunken laughter and quarrel at the living room. "Locked in my room."

"I thought you have plans."

"I have plans of being locked up in my room. My relative likes making me his errand boy whenever his friends come over and when he's done with me, he just locks me up in my room."

Charles whistled. "That is cruel, my friend."

"Sucks a lot," Erik agreed.

"So what have you been doing in your room?"

"I just finished my essay on Maximillien Robespierre. I was thinking of finally lifting my block."

Inside the payphone, Charles leaned against the glass walls, his mind and body unwinding themselves. "Scene?"

"Now that the heroine has friends, my editor suggested that I pitch in rivals."

"Love rival?"

"Any rival, he said, bur I think a love rival is more suitable." As he said this, he retrieved his sketchbook from his drawer and a pencil from the plastic cup on his desk. "I think the 'mean girl jealous of the heroine's relationship with the hero' is too cliché, but I don't have an alternative."

"Why not make it the hero's rival instead?" Charles suggested. The sky outside was dark now and streetlights glowed to life.

"I was thinking about that. A rival with a striking personality that makes readers anticipate an aftermath. He should be charismatic - suave, even - and smart, perhaps rich. He could come off as kind - "

"You're describing the hero," Charles deadpanned.

Erik looked at the three sketches of the hero fighting over the heroine, all three asking "Who will you choose?" Nope, clones will not do.

"I think I'll do people watching again on Monday," Erik sighed, erasing the ridiculous sketch. Charles hummed.

"I don't think so. You could use Raven. I can tell you her habits." This made Erik perk up and urged Charles to continue. "She's unbelievably popular, with fan girls and boys everywhere. The girls like her for her charming personality like a prince, while the boys like her for her free-spirited nature and her ability to reel in the girls at a mixer."

Erik leaned back on his chair and spun around, watching the ceiling become an unrecognizable twister of white. "Wow. She does sound like a shoujo manga prince."

"Shoujo manga," Charles repeated. "That still sound so weird. And sh-shounen, was it?"

"Yeah, shounen," Erik confirmed.

"Shou-nen..."

Banging was heard at Erik's end, as well as a man's holler. He heard Erik swore in German. "I have to go now. Sorry."

"You sound needed so go."

"I want to talk with you longer."

Charles nearly swallowed his tongue. "R-really?" he squeaked.

Erik nodded though Charles couldn't see it. "I like talking with you. It's different in a good way - you're one of a kind, and it's really good."

By now Charles was boiling in bashfulness. "Uh-u-um, I like talking to you too, Erik. You're very pleasant to be with." The banging grew incessant. Charles was starting to worry about Erik's well being. "Take care, Erik."

If Erik understood the concern in those words, he didn't voice it. "You too. See you on Monday, mein Freund."

"Monday, my friend."

 

***

 

The room was too silent without Charles's voice. Now that Erik was positive he will lose his door, he got up and made to answer the door. A dark-haired man in his mid-age stood with his arm on the doorway, his face a mask of utter irritation. The lean man pushed Erik out of the way and stood in the middle of the small bedroom, arms crossed and dark eyes trained on Erik.

"I'd like to believe you had not gone deaf, Erik," he said in a low tone, testing. Always challenging his authority as if he was playing god, Erik thought bitterly.

"I fell asleep when doing my homework," Erik lied smoothly. His hand motioned at the flattened books where his head had supposedly been resting. The man simply shook his head.

"That aside, we ran out of booze. Go get some."

This was new. Shaw had made Erik do stranger things than this, but he didn't know that Shaw was dumb or wasted enough to think that an underage boy can buy a six pack like he's buying water.

"I'm seventeen," Erik said. The man snorted.

"So?"

"I can't but booze. They won't let me."

Shaw uncrossed his arms and stalked forwards. At his reach, he grabbed Erik's head by the base and dug his nails into the scalp as if he wanted to tear it off. He yanked Erik's head so that his mouth hissed foul breath into his ear. "I. Don't. Care. If you have to use fake ID, or if you have to steal from the shop. Just get me some fucking booze!" When he had made himself clear, he forcefully threw Erik's head away and stormed out of the room.

Taking Shaw's words in, and especially the fact that he hadn't been given any booze fee, Erik sighed as he fishes out his wallet from his jacket behind his door. Good thing Shaw was unaware of just how much he makes from his manga, otherwise he would be finding ways to make Erik's fortune his.


	6. Funny how easy it is to stir crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott's sexuality, Raven's mentality and Hank's issues (with Alex).

By the time Charles returned home, expecting the worst, he was informed by the head butler that Kurt was called back to Japan because of an issue that was unaddressed during his meeting and that he wouldn't be back until around Christmas. The cheer that tore out of his very core was unrestrained and he sprinted up to Raven's room, where the butler had informed him was were she was resting at. Raven sported a burning cheek and a bruised wrist but her spirit lit her up a soon as Charles knocked on her door. She refused to cry, the strong girl, and instead fussed over Charles.

"I'm fine. I ran away before anything happened," Charles assured her. She let out a wheezy laugh and settled down on the bed next to him.

"I heard him throwing a tantrum all the way from here. Not long after he probably broke all of the vases in the room, he got a call back from Tokyo."

"Coincidence?"

Raven grinned. "Fate."

The two remained in comfortable silence, just enjoying the puffs of their breaths, until Charles breached it. "I'm glad you're okay, Raven."

"And I you," Raven replied.

"I can't let myself live on if something bad happened to my little sister." Raven turned to him with a judging look.

"I should be the one who's worried! And why am I the little sister? We're the same age, Charles. I'm even in your literature class!"

"Your birthday's on December."

"So?"

Charles sent her a cheeky smirk and pinched her nose. "So that means you're around a month younger than me." The blonde huffed and pinched both of Charles's cheeks. The siblings laughed, finally feeling safe, and spent the rest of their day talking about everything and nothing.

 

***

 

By the time of was Monday, snow had piled up along the streets, and the Xavier children had left the manor early in favor of leisurely trudging along three inch of snow on the sidewalk and pretending they were both Godzilla. They received weird looks from many walkers only for them to brush them of with hysterical laughs. The snow had almost disappeared by the time they reached the school gates and they ceased their role play. Almost immediately, Charles spotted Erik leaning under a tree. Something on him made Raven gasp.

"Charles!" she whispered loudly. "He's all battered!"

Sure enough, Erik had band aids littering his neck, temples and, when he lifted his sleeve to check his watch, his wrist too. The Xavier children hurried over to the stoic boy to check up on his seemingly damaged form.

"My friend, what happened?" Charles greeted. Erik looked confused.

"What happened?"

"You have band aids all over you!"

At this, Erik uttered a single "Oh" and then explained the reason for the patches. "Deadline."

Then the Xavier children uttered a single "Oh". Now that the brunet remembered, Erik mentioned that his deadline was on Sunday. Charles then turned to Raven.

"You knew about his job?" he asked her, puzzled. He didn't remember telling her.

"We've known each other for a while now," Raven clarified. "Anyway, I promised Angel she could copy my homework. See y'all later!" Charles waved her goodbye while Erik blew mist into the cold air. Just as Raven left, another blond made his way towards the duo.

"Morning," he huffed out. Erik nearly jumped out of his skin but calmed when he realized who it was.

"Wow, I thought you were Alex," he said breathlessly. Scott raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know the Great Erik Lensherr is scared of my brother."

"He's terrifying, a monster. Is he adopted?"

"Sometimes I think he is," Scott said whilst rolling his eyes. He then turned to address Charles. "Erik told me about you two wanting to use Raven as a model for the hero's rival. I guess spending time around the famous Prince/Princess should give us more ideas."

"What do you suggest?" Charles asked.

"Hang out with her? Since you're her brother and Erik's her friend, that left me being the only one who's not too familiar with her. Maybe I could take her to a friendly date or something..." A sigh. "But then again I have plans."

"For when?"

"I promised this person I'll help them with their work so I guess I'm busy all week afterschool. Also, this person and I are having some sort of a friendly date on the weekend..."

While Erik wasn't listening to begin with, Charles's mind stopped working at the word "date". Scott on a "friendly date". That's peculiar. Scott was Margo, and Margo was officially dating Jason. But the one going on a date with Scott is not Jason, so that means...

"OH MY GOD!" Charles suddenly screamed, making Erik snap out of his daze and Scott yelp out in surprise. Then the short brunet rounded up to Erik, clutching his coat shakily. "Erik! Erik, this is bad - "

"What? What?"

"Scott..." Charles gasped. Scott just looked puzzled. "S-Scott is...He's cheating on Jason with another guy!"

Erik whipped his head to Scott with a scandalized expression while Scott's hold on the tree slipped and he doubled down in shock. "Who's cheating on who now?!" the blonde screeched.

"Scott said he's going to spend the whole week with another guy, and they're even going on a date in the weekend! All that when he has Jason!" Charles told Erik. Erik shook his head at his friend with an accusing look.

"How could you do this to Jason, Scott?"

"I never said it was with a guy!" Scott countered. "This person is a girl!"

"Pretending to be a lesbian is mean, you know that," Erik chided. Scott balked at the stupidity of the two.

"I'm not pretending and I'm not a 'lesbian'!" Scott fumed. He scanned the crowd of audience, searching for someone, and then spotted a particular redhead standing awkwardly next to Darwin. Scott marched over to her and dragged her back to where the idiotic duo were. "See? This is the person!"

Charles and Erik looked at Jean Grey as if she was an alien, making her squirm under their scrutiny. "You're really a lesbian?" Charles blurted out.

"I'm not a lesbian!"

"So you like guys?"

"I'm not gay!"

"It's okay to admit it. I mean, Erik and I are gay ourselves - "

"Since when did I turn from lesbian to gay?!"

 

***

 

In the aftermath of the misunderstanding, Charles and Erik blessed the "couple" that was Scott and Jean, which made the two blush furiously and leave abruptly amidst Erik's Jewish prayer. "Don't they want a blessing?" Erik said as he watched the two fast walk away.

"Well, they're not married yet," Charles reasoned.

The two separated at the first bell, and later reunited during lunch break, still discussing on how they should mold Raven into a rival character. Since outside was too cold, they settled down at the quietest corner of the cafeteria, talking amicably. They, however, got sidetracked once Charles explained to Erik why Raven was his "little sister".

"So your birthday's a week from now?" Erik said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why?"

"A week is not enough time to prepare for a perfect birthday surprise," Erik protested. That made Charles's stomach flutter with a thousand butterflies.

"Y-you want to surprise me?" Charles stuttered.

"Isn't that the tradition?"

The brunet deflated. He thought this was something personal. Nevermind that - surprises in birthdays are not traditions and Erik is still willing to give him one regardless, though he gave him a warning that he will be surprised a day before his birthday. That's not a surprise now, is it?

"When's your birthday, Erik?" Charles questioned in turn.

"Late May," Erik answered.

"What day?"

"That's a secret." Charles cocked his head in confusion. "You have enough time to prepare for my surprise, so you'll also have to guess which day it is. Meaning you'll have to surprise me during the whole of late May." Charles pouted indignantly.

"That's not fair. I'll have to work harder than you!"

"That shouldn't be a problem. You have enough surprises to last me a lifetime, because even though we've known each other for around a month now, you are still an intriguing mysterious stranger. And I just like how you can surprise me when I least expect it."

Charles choked on his orange juice.

A hand patted him between his shoulders. Charles craned his neck to lock eyes with Raven's golden mirthful eyes. "There, there, Charlie. Drink slowly, now." The brunet pulled a face and went back to his drink. Realizing something, he turned back to Raven again.

"Aren't you supposed to be rehearsing now?" Charles knew the answer to that question; it's the same everytime.

"I got bored because my part isn't in for another three scenes. Besides, I'm accompanying my ladies right now." Sure enough, three girls were giggling behind Raven - one of them being Irene Adler, a diehard fan of Raven. "Now, then," Raven said as she turned to Irene, tucking a stray brown lock behind her ear. "Don't hide your pretty face, love. The others can't see how beautiful you are." All girls squealed and Irene nearly fainted.

Raven turned to the other girl, a dark-haired girl of an oriental background. "Is your phone on silence, darling?" Raven asked her. The girl furrowed her brows.

"Yes, why?"

"I knew it. I can feel the vibrations in my heart," Raven sing-songed charmingly, clutching at her chest. The girl blushed and laughed nervously into Irene's shoulder.

The last one was a brunette with white bangs - Anna-Marie, Charles recognised. Raven grinned and took her hand to kiss it. "Sweet Anna-Marie, what can I do for you?"

"Bobby and I fought," Anna-Marie said. Raven looked past her and spotted Bobby Drake eyeing their interaction with a bitter face. "Help me feel better?" Anna-Marie pulled out her bottom lip in a playful pout. Obviously she was doing this to rile up Bobby. Catching up, Raven pulled her closer and placed her mouth near her ear to whisper softly.

"With you around, I don't get why he's not blind to everything else, dear. Sugar, you are the sweetest nectar from the most beautiful flower in heaven."

Anna-Marie's eyes went wide with glee and a smile grew to match. At the same time, Bobby Drake roughly got up from his seat and stomped over to Raven's small group, pulling Anna-Marie from Raven's half embrace and out of the cafeteria. The brunette shot Raven a wink before the couple disappeared down the hall. Irene and her friend squealed, commenting on how cool that was. Others erupted into a buzz of comments too.

"Raven, the Prince - "

"How charming - "

" - sweep me off my feet - "

" - bet they're necking at - "

" - wish he's like her."

"I want to marry her - "

In her triumph, Raven set her arms akimbo and grinned smugly at Charles, winking. He knew what that meant: "I can do this for you too." No - just, never. He conveyed that with a shake of his head and Raven laughed merrily.

Then a roar of Raven's name echoed through the halls, silencing the cafeteria. Recognizing the voice, Raven's eyes widened and she turned to her girls. "Loves, I hate yo part from you, but I must," she said, playing the part of a runaway prince being hinted down by a feral wolfman. Irene and her friend gasped and each clutched one of Raven's hand.

"Will you be okay?" Irene asked, dismayed. Raven graced her a (fake) sad smile and stroke both girls' cheeks.

"I will come back to you. I promise." With those parting words, Raven sprinted out of the cafeteria, soon followed by Logan who practically emitted a murderous aura. Once the wolfman's hollers were out of ear range, Irene and her friend hugged each other and prayed for the Prince's safety.

Charles was unamused.

He turned to talk to Erik to see him scribbling furiously at his notepad. No doubt jotting down every second of Raven's little act.

 

***

 

Hank McCoy was dribbling basketballs and shooting them at the indoor gym, fully dressed in winter P.E. clothes. Since this was his first year at the team, the coach had encouraged him to practice as much as he could, with someone or alone. Since Hank lived a long way from the school nearing the outskirts of the city and the sports center was at the city center, he had opted to stay afterschool and practice until it was time that he should leave.

Basketball had always been fun, though Hank had never had the intention of joining the team if it wasn't for Darwin's encouragement. Darwin was in the football team, the quarterback in fact, and he shared Hank the story of how he didn't want to join at first until he realized how fun it is to enjoy your favorite sport with other enthusiastic people. True to his words, Hank enjoyed his time with the basketball team; they had expressed their surprise at how fast Hank could run and how high he could jump. He even was given an invitation to join the track team instead, only to decline it in favor of basketball.

Balancing school work and basketball practice was hectic at first, but he managed due to his sheer intelligence and high stamina. Before Hank knew it, he had become more confident and straightforward than before.

Except when dealing with the demon that was Alex Summers.

The door to the gym opened and a gust of cold wind made Hank stop to shiver. He turned and smiled in greeting at Erik. Hank had Erik tutor him in German, as it was his weakest subject; they would meet up during breaks or afterschool, and over time the two had created a friendship. Knowing that his friend Charles was also close to Erik made Hank happy, as it proved that Erik was not as cold as people perceived him to be.

"Hi, Erik," Hank said. "What brings you here?"

"I just want to sketch you playing basketball in winter clothes," Erik said bluntly. His bluntness was very unnerving at first, however Hank later saw this as Erik's untainted honesty.

"While you're here, why don't you try playing too? I heard you were also offered a place in the team but declined. You must be good, then"

"Ah, sorry," Erik said. "I don't want to. I could bend my finger the wrong way, break them even, if I were to dribble a ball. My fingers are my moneymakers, after all."

"Erik, that's just pitiful."

At times like this, Hank remembered why he didn't particularly like Erik's brutal honesty.

 

 

"You didn't have to come with me to get my books," Hank repeated for the umpteenth time as they walked down the hall.

"I told you the school's heater is better than anything else," Erik repeated for just as many. "Where're your books anyway?"

"At Ms. MacTaggert's classroom. We'll. Just go through the music department as a shortcut."

As if on cue, as they walked nearer towards the music department, the sound of a violin danced in the air. Erik froze in his spot. He didn't know the bastard was still here.

"Oh, I hear it! Though it's so faint," Hank said happily. "It's the Lorelei!" Erik turned to an ecstatic Hank.

"The Lorelei?"

"The nickname of the mysterious violinist," Hank elaborated. "No one had ever seen who it is but the songs they play are all very soothing, hypnotic even, that many had called then the Lorelei. I imagine they must be as kindhearted as their music."

Erik would've roared in laughter if Hank didn't look so love-struck.

"Is you like to listen to the Lorelei's music?"

"A friend usually record their songs so I can listen to it on my phone. I listen to them often, especially when I'm stressed." A sigh. "Which I'm prone to nowadays ever since Alex Summers became the substitute."

Erik's mouth twitched. "Alex Summer?"

"Yes, him!" Hank said heatedly. "He bulldozers the court like he's playing football! And he would always make sure to come after me - giving me black eyes by smashing my face with basketballs, and then he would drag me around town because he's bored! He just wouldn't leave me alone!"

It was terribly ironic that the cause of Hank's stress was also his biggest crush.

As they walked nearer to the sound of music, Hank piped up again. "And there's another issue, about Lorelei's music."

"What is it?"

"I get sleepy, see, when I - "

Suddenly Hank fell face first onto the ground. They were right in front if the room where the music originated from. Erik crouched down to check on the fallen boy, worried if he had injured himself...only to find that Hank was asleep. Deeply asleep.

Everytime Hank hears Lorelei's music, he falls asleep almost immediately.


	7. Good things happen to good people...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik and Logan have a talk about Charles...you can imagine how that works. And Hank gets backup from Scott to stand up to Alex.

"Erik! Look!"

Charles held up the neatly toned page he had just finished. It was the picture of a child holding both of his parents' hand - a flashback of Jason's life. Erik looked up from his work and nodded appreciatively.

"You're getting better at this, my friend," Erik commented.

Charles then held up the leftover toning paper with a hole the shape of the small family.

"Oh, you still have the leftover paper."

The brunet then stuck the leftover onto a scrap piece of paper. He drew a face at the child's head, mouth opened in shock and eyes blobs of black ink, while he designed the parents to look like aliens.

Erik couldn't help but to double over.

"I actually enjoy toning," Charles said. "It makes the drawings livelier."

Erik hummed in agreement. "But that only applies when you use the right tone for a scene. If not - "

Erik pulled out a page from his sketch folder. It was a familiar panel of Gretel introducing herself to the girls of the unpopular knitting club at her school. Though the atmosphere was supposed to be welcoming and flowery...that notion was destroyed due to the angry lightning tone used as the background. The girls looked murderous.

Another page was showing a panel where Gretel had offered homemade lunch. Jason had asked what she had made, to which she replied "It's a secret!". Along the words were blood spatters.

"This should be a crime," Charles laughed.

"These were Scott's first attempts at toning," Erik said. Charles was left breathless from laughing so hard.

 

***

 

Erik had planned to spend his break with Charles when a certain pinched-looking Logan dragged him by the crook of his elbow spontaneously. That made Erik forget about what he was about to do for a second due to the rapid motion; he winced and blinked back the blankness seeping into his mind.

"Umm...what?" Erik mumbled, dazed.

"We need to talk, bub," Logan grounded out. He brought him to a classroom, deposited Erik to a chair and slammed the door with a flick of his wrist. "About Charles."

Erik frowned. "What about Charles?"

"Your business with him," Logan snarled. He hated how Lensherr was playing dumb. "I don't like what you're doing to him, dragging him to your house and having your way with him, when he doesn't know a damn that's going on. You and Scott Summers - the two of you, using an underage boy!"

...Things just couldn't get any weirder for Erik.

"Firstly," Erik spoke slowly. "Charles comes to my home willingly, and I am not taking advantage of him, nor is Scott - he volunteered himself. And we take care of each other, make sure none of us drop dead because of exhaustion. Besides, I wouldn't want him to just stop, because he's really good at what he's doing. He has good hands, in my opinion."

The corner of the table Logan was clutching at exploded into splinters.

"He's a fucking minor!" Logan growled. Erik frowned and shrugged.

"There are people younger than any of us who're better." It was true - Erik had seen a ten year old producing a perfect sketch of the current US president on the internet.

Logan, at that moment, snapped.

 

***

 

Scott was rather close with Hank - they were, in fact, in the same homeroom and history class. He knew Hank was, despite his newly gained self-esteem, a shy and gentle person who fumbled with his words as much as he fumbled with the edge of his shirt. What he didn't know was his capabilities in being angry, let alone annoyed.

"I beg of you, Scott, make it stop!" Hank all but plead, on the verge of tears. Scott grimaced at the awkwardness.

"I know that Alex can get irritating at times but to make you like this? Did you try to fight back?"

"Of course I did!" Hank said enthusiastically. "In retaliation of what he does during the matches, I would glare at him whenever I make eye contact with him!"

"That's weak."

"I also shout greetings at him to intimidate him!"

"How is that threatening?"

"And to add to all of that, I follow him around, shout greetings and glare at him?"

"You just seem so desperate."

Hank gasped. Were all of his efforts been in vain? "What went wrong? I've tried so hard..." Hank murmured to himself, dismayed at how fruitless his efforts had been. Seeing the bespectacled boy became duller in colour, Scott patted his back sympathetically. He knew how resistant Alex was to all kinds of words and actions.

"You should confront him, then. Let him know how he makes you feel," Scott suggested wistfully. That was what his Mommy always told him when he felt bothered by someone.

Hank sniffed. He placed his head on a palm, thinking. "But how do I - " A light bulb was lit and Hank shot up from where he was sat. "Scott, lend me your manga! I think they can serve as great advisors!"

Startled, Scott merely nodded. The two boys walked to Scott's locker to retrieve all of his (romance) comics (mostly drawn by Erik) for Hank to study. The kid reads really fast and finished five volumes in one break, and was finishing the rest the next. Curious, Scott peered at a page Hank was on to see what it was he was studying.

The scene was of two girls arguing when one of them took off one of her glove and threw it to the ground in front of her nemesis. "Y-you!" the nemesis stammered. "That glove...does that mean - " The girl puffed up and said "I declare a duel!" That was where the last volume ended. Hank closed the book with a satisfied sigh, a smile on his face. "Now I get it.'

What could he possibly get from that?

"Great. So what are you going to do now?" Scott asked. He watched Hank pull out a paper and a pen from his bag to scrawl something onto it. He then folded it neatly into a square and beckoned Scott to follow him. The duo hurried over to Alex's homeroom class and slipped the paper onto his chair. They then swiftly retreated back to their previous post in the indoor garden near the cafeteria. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Scott questioned "What was on that paper?"

 

_Afternoon registration..._

 

During afternoon registration, Alex opened the mysterious note on his chair to read it with Charles.

_Dear Alex Summers,_

_I have something totally important to tell you. Meet me at the school gardens afterschool. I'll be waiting~ <3_

_Love, anonymous_

Charles and Alex gaped at the love letter.

 

_Present..._

 

"...That was the only letter in the comic, so I copied it," Hank explained. Scott balked.

"That is not a fucking challenge letter!"

 

***

 

Once all students filter out of the school grounds, Alex strolled towards the school gardens to meet his secret admirer. But when he saw Hank McCoy from the basketball team instead, he was starting to think this was some sort of prank. Meanwhile, Hank had a smug smirk plastered on his face the moment he saw Alex approach.

"Surprised, aren't you? You didn't expect me to be the one writing the letter?" Hank said haughtily. Alex reread the letter in his hand, doubting Hank.

"Well, yeah, I'm really surprised," Alex said slowly. "So, what's it? It's freezing here so make it quick if you can."

Hank froze. Hr didn't actually know what to say. What was he supposed to say? A hiss erupted behind him and he turned his head a fraction to see Scott behind the oak tree, mouthing "You hate him". Regaining his composure, Hank nodded subtly and turned to Alex -

"Since you called me out here, you must want a new nickname," Alex concluded.

"No! Not even close!" Hank said. He then drew in a breath and began. "Alex, you've been making me uncomfortable lately, what with you picking on me a lot during and outside club practice. So I ask of you to stop associating yourself with me once and for all, is that clear?"

Alex was quiet for a long time, and Hank feared he might have hurt his feelings. When he was about to apologize, though -

"Is Bozo a good nickname?"

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Hank finally broke. "You-you always aim at my face when you have the ball. You always elbow me in the ribs when you run past me. Then after practice you drag me all the way to the city center - whilst making me hold your bag - and then you'd make me watch movies I don't even like! And after that you take me to an early dinner and pay for the whole meal! You even give souvenirs from everytime your parents go abroad!"

...Wasn't Alex just being chummy with Hank?

Despite his accusations, Alex didn't seem fazed by anything, so Hank resorted to his next technique: in Alex's mangas, girls hate it when guys talk about other girls in front of them.

So Hank said "Lorelei the mysterious violinist would never be someone like you!"

Alex looked dumbfounded.

Scott hurried his head in his hand and ducked between his legs in shame.

"Lorelei?" Alex asked, perplexed.

"Lorelei is a kindhearted violinist who always plays when most students have gone home. Though no one had ever caught their identity, I believe Lorelei to be a person of good soul, who would never hurt anyone intentional or not. They would say the best things about people and has gentle hands that would bring forth the most beautiful melody ever heard. You will never be someone like Lorelei, Alex!"

Scott was on the ground on his side, head still in his hands.

When Alex was silent, Hank thought it was his victory...but the victorious feeling crumbled when he saw Alex looking at him with pitying eyes whilst snorting from his attempt to repress a laugh.

Well, that's it! No more Nice Hank!

He yanked off both of his gloves and bunched them in his hands. Scott gasped when he saw what Hank was about to do and made to leap into the fray to stop the oncoming duel. Hank raised his hand high, gloves in hand -

And placed the gloves gently onto Alex's hands, apologizing as he did so.

Scott tripped and fell on his face.

Hank was gone before anyone could register what just happened. Alex was regarding the gloves as if they were peculiar artifacts, flipping them and holding them this way and that. "Scott, you obviously know about the Lorelei thing," Alex said to the seemingly empty garden.

Sighing, Scott revealed himself and made to stand in front of Alex, looking at the gloves. "Most students know. It's a rumour - some say Lorelei is a student or a teacher or even the janitor, some say they're a person who sneak in afterschool, and some say they're a ghost. But regardless of that, they say Lorelei is a good person, even if the students had never actually met them."

Alex hummed. "I'm flattered. They say such nice things and think highly of me." Then a malicious grin grew on his face. "It's only appropriate to crush their fantasies, wouldn't it Scott?"

Scott sighed at his brother's antics. He may be called Lorelei behind his back, but he was known as the infamous Havok among the high school basketball league.

 

***

 

Charles had been waiting at the gates for a while now, waiting for Erik. Perhaps he had gone home earlier - maybe something had gone wrong, as he didn't see him all day but he was in school in the morning.

"Sorry for making you wait, mein Freund," Erik's voice said behind him. Finally!

Charles turned to greet his friend, but any words were morphed into a scream as he took in Erik's black eye. "Oh my god!" Charles gasped. He hurried over to Erik, touching his face gingerly and tilted his head in many angles to assess the horribly swelled eye. "What happened? Who did this?"

"...I...don't actually remember," was what Erik said instead. Charles let out a frustrated sound and brought Erik's face closer to his.

"Does your head hurt? What do you remember? Is it painful to move your head?"

Erik placed his hands atop of Charles's, rubbing them to soothe the flustered brunet. "I'm fine. I have a slight headache and my eye is throbbing, but I know you're Charles Xavier and I'm Erik Lensherr and I got to Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters and we work on my manga together, sometimes with Scott Summers. I don't think I missed anything. It's fine, Charles - "

"It's not fine!" Charles countered hotly, tears brimming his eyes. "This isn't okay, Erik - it's never okay! If you feel fine, then think about the others around you too! I don't like seeing you like this!" Charles knew he was somehow overreacting because this is the first time he saw Erik with a black eye, but mistreatments were never okay. He knew that. He remembered how Raven wailed mournfully all night when she first found out what Charles had endured with Kurt, and then cried harder when she realized it had been two months since the first and it didn't stop.

Through his blurred eyes, he thought Erik's face grew larger until all he saw was Erik's green eye and the swollen purple eye. Their foreheads were touching together and their breaths mingled in the closed space, creating a cloud of white that enveloped them in the moment. Charles was aware of his hands still holding Erik's face and Erik's hands holding his. Erik's right hand then moved to wipe a tear on Charles's cheek.

"It's alright, Charles," Erik said, his voice soft and full of care. "The person didn't mean it. He apologized. It's alright now. Don't be upset." Well, Logan didn't apologize - he left Erik on the floor after he had gave him a nasty left hook. He had meant to complain about his day to Charles, but seeing Charles's reaction...

Erik's first move was to comfort Charles the way his mother used to when he was upset. She said when two people touch foreheads, their feelings are shared and so they can understand each others pain and lessen the sufferer's. Right then, he understood why Charles had reacted the way he did, and he hoped Charles understood that Erik was unharmed. The tension was lifted off of Charles's brightly flushed face, however there was still discomfort in his eyes, so Erik did the next things his mother did when he was upset.

He gathered Charles up in his arms and embraced him.

Charles let out a strangled squeal when Erik's hand suddenly left his face to warp around his waist in a hug. His own hands had migrated to Erik's shoulders, clutching the fabric there in a moment's panic. Erik's breath was warm against on the crown of his head, his body even warmer through layers of clothing. Charles could hear his steady heartbeats where he put his head on his chest, the constant thump-thump-thump lifting every concerns Charles had ever had. For a moment, Kurt was nowhere, Mother was smiling and Daddy was ruffling his hair.

Erik smiled into Charles's head as Charles wound his arms around his neck, holding onto him like he was everything. For a moment, Shaw was nowhere and his parents were laughing with him.

For a moment, they were together.


	8. Happy birthday, Charles Xavier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before and the day of Charles's birthday, where Erik does his best to surprise him.

It was the day before Charles's birthday, which was also the day before the weekend. Charles was greeted with congratulations and small presents such as CDs, books and a tie (Alex had said that fifteen was a big step towards the midpoint of his puberty). Emma's definition of small, unfortunately, was an Armani suit and a matching Rolex.

"Emma, you didn't have to!" Charles stammered. Emma just smiled and hugged him.

"Just take it, sweet. I know you can buy these as easily as you buy apples but you're getting closer to being an adult now, and I want you to feel the part." Charles returned the hug with as much enthusiasm as a child on sugar rush.

He had met up with Erik, who once again warned him about his entire day of surprise. Charles merely nodded and waved him off to class as he was running late. Whatever it was Erik had prepared, he had planned it meticulously for him to be late to class.

At break, Erik had come over to Charles's class and told him to meet him at the indoor garden and sit at the plastic green chair he had prepared for him. He then went away to do god knows what, leaving Charles to follow his instructions, thinking about Erik's adorable attempt at the element of surprise. When he arrived at the indoor garden, it was empty, and sure enough the green plastic chair Erik mentioned was put in the middle of the place.

"Whatever Erik is planning," Charles said aloud to himself. "it better something spectacular. He approached the chair and took a seat -

\- on something soft but firm. And warm.

A back. He was sitting on Erik's back. He was on all four and Charles was sitting on him.

Charles screamed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he screeched. In panic, he backed up towards the benches by the hydrangea bushes. His chest felt like a thousand bombs exploded.

Erik - that insufferable madman - got up from his position with his right hand in his messenger bag, fishing for something. He peered inside the bad once and then turned to Charles again. "I told you I'd surprise you." Erik pulled out a small bunch of blue flowers and presented it to Charles. "For you."

Charles blinked. Then he blushed, feeling terribly flattered. "Uh-flowers! They're beautiful...thank you, my friend," Charles said as he took the flowers from Erik's hand.

Only for the hand to fall off of Erik's sleeve and tumbled to the grassy ground. Charles screamed, backed up and bumped his head on the bench behind him.

Charles was now sure Erik Lensherr was the master of surprises.

"Now sit on the bench with me. I made us lunch," Erik then said, sitting on the bench beside Charles's head. Grumbling, the brunet heaved himself onto the bench too, rubbing his sore head. From his bag, Erik pulled out two lunch cases and handed one over to Charles, who eyes the plastic box warily.

"Is this a surprise, too?" he asked cautiously.

"I did say I'll surprise you all day," was Erik's reply. He opened his box to reveal sandwiches stacked neatly in triangles. Daring himself, Charles opened his box.

There was only rice.

"Here's your spoon," Erik said as he passed Charles a yellow plastic spoon that matched with the yellow of his box. Erik expected him to eat a whole box of rice. Wonderful. He ate the offered lunch nonetheless, noting the strange blandness of rice he wasn't used to; the rice he always had were from Chinese takeout or from the Thai restaurant next to the cinema. Midway through his meal Charles noticed something that made his heart leap.

There was curry under the rice.

He remembered mentioning to Erik that curry was his favorite food in the first week that they had started talking - it was said as a passing comment and the fact that Erik remembered made Charles's red lips curl up and spread across his face. He turned to his friend and bumped his arm.

"You're the best, Erik!" he beamed and proceeded to finish his lunch with a happy hum.

Erik watched Charles dig into the curry, glad that he liked it. The sight of a happy Charles made all of the failed seven attempts in making curry last night worth everything, down to Shaw's fury at the sight of his singed pans.

 

***

 

On the next break, Charles was asked to deliver a stack of ungraded test papers to the teachers' office. Just as he exited the classroom, Erik was already waiting by the door. He looked at the papers and back up to Charles.

"I can help you with those," he offered, hands already held out. Sensing something, Charles took Erik's offer and let him take all of the papers. He watched Erik disappear around the corner, only for the boy to return running back to him, papers carefully tucked in his arms as he ran. "Take half of it," he demanded, thrusting the pile onto Charles's arms. "I can't surprise you if you don't come with me!"

Well that was smooth.

In the end Charles took half of the papers and walked alongside Erik to the teachers' office. There was nothing out of the ordinary when they entered - there were several teachers bent over a desk marking papers while some were just sitting around and enjoying their break. Charles and Erik went over to place the papers onto his teacher's desk and made to turn back -

A man in a frightening baboon mask jumped out of the desk he was facing and hollered in Charles's face. Charles screamed the manliest scream ever and stumbled back only to trip on a chair leg and fell in a heap on the floor. As Charles blinked back to consciousness, the room had gone of a full swing of laughter. The man in the mask took off his getup - it was his teacher, cheeks flushed from laughter - and offered Charles a hand up.

"Happy birthday, Xavier," he chuckled. As Erik escorted a still stunned Charles out, his teacher gave a hearty pat on the back that nearly made him lurch forward and back his skull on the wall.

 

***

 

Logan had watched Erik bully the birthday boy around the school. Charles jumped three feet into the air when Erik had randomly pulled out a confetti canon from his bag and launched on the brunet's head in the midst of their conversation. As soon as Charles went away to calm himself down in the bathroom, Logan approached Erik and crowded into his personal space.

"Now what are you up to, bub?" Logan snarled. "You're bullying Chuck on his birthday? Seriously, grow up."

Erik looked impassively at Logan, empty confetti canon still in hand. "Charles rather enjoys it. Ask him if you want. He particularly likes the curry I made him for lunch."

Erik didn't know why Logan was so keen on herding Erik into a corner whenever he saw him. The senior hadn't even spared him a second glance before, but ever since he started spending time with Charles -

Oh.

 _Oh_.

If Erik wasn't stupid, he didn't know who is.

Thankfully, Logan retreated as soon as the bathroom door opened and Charles resumed his place next to Erik. As the two made their way to their next class, Erik couldn't help bur cast a dangerous glance at Logan's retreating back.

 

 

When their last class came to an end, Erik had "suggested" that Charles walk home with him. Now Charles was well prepared...sort off. He'll keep his hackles raised and ready to pounce on the first sign if abnormality.

"Why do you look so tense?" Erik had asked him when Charles flinched at a cat's call. Charles just looked at him like a he was an idiot.

The rest of the walk home was very tense for Charles but Erik merely enjoyed his walk in the frosty weather. Charles had thought that Erik would pull off something impossible everytime they turned a corner or pass an alleyway, only to be disappointed everytime Erik walked on. Charles was surprised when he had reached Erik's apartment and still hadn't been drenched in water or tripped into mud.

"Where's the surprise?" Charles queried. Erik turned to face him and shook his head.

"There's none. I just wanted to walk home with you."

Erik walked into the warmth of his apartment lobby while Charles warmed himself up with flattery. Perhaps this was the surprise.

 

_***_

 

Charles was woken up by an incessant tapping against glass. He thought nothing of it, not until the taps grew into knocks. He froze. Who could be trying to sneak into his room this late at night? A burglar? But burglars wouldn't try to get any attention on the first place. Gathering his nerves, Charles pushed himself out of his warm bed, eyes still bleary from sleep.

His bedside clock said that it was a little bit before midnight. When he stared at his clock for too long, the knocks became louder that Charles had to look at the source of it: the door to the balcony. When he turned he bit back a curse and scrambled back to bed, scared off his wits.

There was a Santa bear on his balcony. That was odd because there was a Santa bear on his balcony knocking on his door in the middle of the night. And it wasn't even Christmas yet. When the bear noticed that Charles noticed it, it waved before knocking again.

Charles had an idea as to who this idiot was.

Charles leapt out of bed and unlocked the door to let the bear and a large gust of freezing air in. He closed it immediately when the bear had dropped his potato sack on Charles's carpeted floor. Rounding up on the bear, Charles crossed his arms and glared his best impersonation of an angry kitten.

"I seriously thought you were done for the day, Erik."

The bear took off its head to reveal a green-eyed, auburn-haired guy who looked around Charles's bedroom in appreciation. "This room is even bigger than my living room," Erik commented. He went over the bookshelf to skim over the spines of the books there, and then his gaze lingered on a family photo of the old Xavier family: a young Charles was perched on his mother's lap, the young boy a d his parents smiling at the camera.

Charles huffed in annoyance when Erik ignored him. "What are you doing here, my friend? You are trespassing a private property here, as well as breaking the city's curfew."

"Laws don't apply to me because I'm Santa," Erik simply said. "What's the time?" Charles looked over to his clock.

"Two minutes to midnight."

"Perfect. I have something for you."

Erik went over to his potato sack and beckoned Charles to join him on the floor. When the brunet was seated, Erik fished out a cube wrapped up in glossy blue paper and secured with silver ribbons. Erik handed the cube silently to Charles, and at the questioning look on the birthday boy he encourage him to open his present up with his emerald eyes. Carefully, Charles loosened the ribbons and unfolded the wrapping. It was a wooden box with a lid secured on a long and slender brass hinge. It wasn't light, yet it wasn't heavy either, and when Charles shook it only some faint rattling could be heard. When Charles was about to open it, Erik stilled his hand by lightly placing his on his wrist.

"Not yet," Erik whispered, watching Charles's clock. "In a few seconds." The two waited for seven seconds and it was midnight, and Erik lifted his hand and gestured for Charles to open the box.

A crystal star glowing a pale yellow twirled daintily on a dais, accompanied by a musical box rendition of the Happy Birthday song. Stuck on the inside of the lid was a picture of Charles and Erik, taken on the day Charles had stayed over at Erik's house when Erik's guardian was away to help him finish the pages needed for the deadline. Both sleepy eyed, Charles was leaning lazily on Erik's side with a weary smile and Erik rested his head atop a mop of brown curls, a faint but clear smile on his face. On the side, Erik's arm had disappeared out of the picture as he was the one holding the camera. Above the picture was "Happy Birthday" spelt out with golden stickers, while below the photo was the date the picture was taken written in glowing silver pen.

And then Charles registered a deep voice singing along with the music box, and he was entranced by soothing voice and the mesmerizing green eyes that he didn't notice the tears flowing freely from his eyes. Charles set aside the music box and let out a breathless laugh as he launched himself onto Erik to envelop him with gratitude.

He'd like to think this wasn't one of Erik's surprise birthday pranks, nor was it one of Erik's Jewish or German tradition. He'd like to think that Erik sees him as something special that was worth everything, because Charles thought of that about Erik.

"Thank you," Charles choked out. "Thank you so much, Erik, my friend."

Erik leaned closer to the crook of Charles's neck. Charles smelt faintly of soap, but also of warmth and fresh snow and just something that was distinctly Charles. He tightened his arms around Charles's waist and let his head rest on Charles, savoring the precious moment.

 

***

 

Charles was surprised when he woke up in the morning because he hadn't remembered going back to bed. Or maybe he hadn't even woken up in the first place and that amazing moment with Erik last night was just a dream. But seeing as how comfortably tucked in Charles was and the wooden box and the wrapping paper on his bedside table, Charles couldn't help but smile giddily as he pressed his face into his pillow.

As he got out of bed, he noticed that something was taped onto his headboard - two long rectangular pieces of paper stuck with a tape, and on top of that was a yellow sticky not. Charles picked up the note, and couldn't help the growing smile on his face.

_Tickets to a surprise movie. 1am, cinema - REMEMBER THE TICKETS!!! - Erik_


	9. Is it safe to get lost in heaven?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the start of winter break, Charles had bad news. The manga trio talk about mixers. At the same time, Logan, Raven and the Drama Club do a last rehearsal before the play tomorrow - Charles and Erik had to go along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw the kudos and I just have to say I didn't actually expect anyone to read this story. :'D Thank you for reading, loves!
> 
> By the way, I am packing up to fly across Asia soon. I might not be able to post for a while.
> 
> Title inspired by Don't Get Lost in Heaven by Gorillaz.

It was finally winter break, but the trio consisting of Erik, Charles and Scott were inking and toning manga pages for the deadline even though all the other kids their age had raided the city center. They worked in the living room, the tv turned on to a music channel to give some sort of life to the room.

"So it's Christmas soon. And Hanukkah," Erik commented. "The next chapter should have that sort of theme, and then the one after will have a New Year theme."

"From what I know, dates are popular during Christmas, else some people would be busy celebrating it," Scott said. "But I'm not really sure what they do during Hanukkah..."

"I was thinking of maybe having Jason invite Gretel over for his family's Hanukkah celebration. Bonus for Gretel not knowing Jason was Jewish so she was pretty awkward during the whole things."

Scott frowned. "How does she not know what religion her boyfriend follows?"

"Well, I didn't know you're a Protestant and Charles believes in no heaven until yesterday."

As they mentioned the brunet's name, they turned to said boy and observed him quietly inking pages with a solemn expression. Even though Erik had announced they should take a break, Charles was obviously too focused on his work, or too distraught on a thought.

"Charles," Erik called his name. No response. "Charles," he tried again. Charles's hand didn't cease its repetitive motion. "Charles!"

As a last resort, Scott leaned over and flicked a finger on Charles's forehead. The brunet winced and shot his hand up to rub the sore spot, glaring at Scott. "What was that for?!"

"Erik was calling you. What's with the long face?"

Unexpectedly, Charles sighed. The two gasped. Charles was a big Nazi when it cane to sighing. This issue must be very serious for him to look so downtrodden. "Cain, my stepbrother, is coming home today," Charles said. He turned back to inking the pages and spoke as he worked. "And my stepfather will be back sooner than expected, a week or so after Cain."

Scott pursed his lips. "For how long?"

"Cain will stay for the rest of the winter break, while Kurt will stay for as long as he wants," Charles answered monotonously.

Erik and Scott knew about Kurt and Cain Marko. The big news of Sharon Xavier remarrying her late husband's colleague was a hot topic across the country, particularly in the socialite circle Scott's family was in. Dr. Marko, though a brilliant scientist in his own right, was just an imitation of the brilliant Dr. Brian Xavier. He had a reputation for counting every single penny in his pocket and for the notorious stories of him favouring young boys. As for his son, Cain, he wasn't as bright as his father but what he lacked in intelligence he made up in strength and antagonism.

Charles had only complained about his stepfamily once during one of their inking sessions. He was recalling the time when Cain pushed him off the window from the third floor library, giving him a broken arm and leg so bad he was told to not overexert himself when doing sports, hence why he didn't join the track team when offered the chance.

He had never talked much about Kurt, but from the way Charles's eye twitched at his name they decided not to push.

"I can always take you out of the house when you need to," Erik offered, concern rolling off of him. Charles smiled gratefully but shook his head.

"A little bit family time shouldn't hurt," the brunet said unconvincingly. "I have Raven to accompany me. That aside," he changed the subject suddenly. "I think it's proper that we plan ahead for the upcoming chapters."

The other two said no more. Erik pulled out his sketch book and started jotting down ideas. They were, at first, planning about the Christmas/Hanukkah and New Year chapter, but one look at the music video playing on the tv and they were veered off course to the subject of mixer parties.

Sometimes, the greatest minds can be the most frivolous.

It turned out that Scott was the only person among the trio to have been in a mixer. He told the experiences as fun at some times and boring at the others; he had only come because he could make more girls come along because of his dashing looks, even though all he wanted to do was laze around at home.

"How do people arrange themselves at mixers?" Charles asked.

"There aren't any proper seating plans, if that's what you're asking. Sometimes people would just make out openly while the others would talk first. Some just tag along for the food and games," Scott said.

"If we were to make it PG-13," Erik said, sketching a mixer scene. "the girls should sit on one side and the guys on the other."

"Erik, this is not the Middle East," Scott deadpanned.

"Then the mixer should be a civilized affair." Erik drew six guys and girls sitting around in a karaoke bar with a dinner-like arrangement.

"It isn't supposed to be like this, either," Scott sighed. "This looks like a formal dining."

"Then let's add something that makes it informal, like snacks, drinks, cakes - " Bowls of snacks and drinks were drawn on the table, and on the center was a round cake with elaborate icings on top. Scott facepalmed.

"Erik, that's a birthday party." Erik looked back at his drawing and cocked his head in thought.

"Should I add more people?" The karaoke bar was flooded with girls and guys dancing around the table and the people seated at it. Scott burried his head in his hands.

"It's like a scene from a music video," Charles commented.

Scott decided that he should pity Erik for his blissful ignorance. "Someday, I will take you to a mixer," he said with pity. Charles resisted the urge to pout in disapproval.

 

***

 

Raven had begged for Charles to come with her to the Drama Club's last rehearsal on their winter play. The show will finally be played tomorrow evening, with tickets already sold out from preorders, all thanks to Raven being the main protagonist of the play. Logan was to play as the archenemy, while Emma was the damsel in distress (much to her distaste - she wanted to be the queen, because she then she'll get to be a bitch without having to pretend).

So at eight o'clock in the morning, in winter break, Raven had literally dragged Charles out of bed, demanded that he dess himself quickly and then pestered him out of the front door and to the mostly empty school. There were some students around the school grounds who had to come in because of club activities - he could see the hockey team march towards the waiting school bus, some girls from the figure skating group joining them shortly after, and then he spotted some people from the Drama Club carrying what looked like a castle towards the auditorium.

When the Xavier children entered the theatre Logan was instructing the kids who had brought the castle prop to place the mostly grey styrofoam hollow cylinder at the far right corner of the stage. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Logan turned to greet the Xavier children with a lopsided smile. He was wearing the costume for the archenemy Rudolph: a royal purple dress shirt topped with a billowing dark cape and matching pants and boots. On his head was a wide-brimmed fedora-looking hat with a single white feather in the side.

"She bullied you into coming," Logan stated. He took in the way Charles was dressed rather sloppily, a large contrast to how he used to dress on normal days; the sweater vest was missing, for one.

Charles huffed and rolled his eyes. "I wanted to wake up late in time for Doctor Who, but no - Raven decided being a potato in the theatre was more important than watching the Doctor be an adorable genius idiot."

Logan chuckled and ruffled Charles's already messy locks. He catalogued the fact that Charles's hair was so silky. "I'll get you something to do, Chuck. Jane is backstage with the props." Charles nodded and left Logan with Raven to talk to Jean backstage.

The redhead was hunched over a wide-brimmed sunhat that was pinned with pink and white roses. Beside her was a white gown with pale pink accessories that matched the hat Jean was fixing. She turned her head towards Charles when he pulled aside the curtain separating backstage and the actual stage, pleasantly surprised at his sudden visit.

"Charles! I didn't know you help around," Jean greeted, giving a friendly hug to the brunet which was returned in kind. Her eyes grew big and she held Charles at an arm's length suddenly, sizing him up with fondness. "You've shot up!"

Charles raised a brow. "Really? I'm still rather short, though."

"You were two inches shorter than me when we first started school, and now you're about five inches taller," Jean exclaimed excitedly. Charles, however, wasn't impressed.

"That's not a lot for a boy in puberty."

"Better than nothing, yeah?"

Admittedly, Charles's father was a man of average height, while his mother was short but shapely. His nanny had assured him once that he'll someday surpass his father. He felt guilty for disappointing her.

"Logan told me you'll have something for me to do," Charles said. "But seeing the props here, they look finished."

"Oh no, there are some small holes and missing buttons on the costumes," Jean informed him. "When the drama kids practice, they tend to go all out." Jean made it sound like the kids in the Drama Club brawl all day as a regular club activity.

Jean brought him over to some costumes on mannequins and tasked him with the job of sewing holes and buttons and placing required accessories on places where they had fallen off from. The two worked in comfortable silence, the only sounds were from the rehearsing kids on stage. Then Charles's phone buzzed in his jeans pocket. The caller ID read Erik.

"Good morning, my friend," Charles answered. "I didn't know you're up this early."

"Shaw sent me on an errand at five. All the trouble for milk and Honey Stars," Erik said. In the background the wind howled noisily. "And now he has a girl over and decided that it's sunny enough outside for me to take a walk."

Erik had talked about his guardian, Shaw, a few times before. From what he had heard, Shaw was one big mean asshole from Dicksville. Just from his impression, Charles hated the man; he reminded him of Cain but with more wits.

"Why are you up so early?" Erik asked.

"I'm at school right now. Raven dragged me here to the Drama Club's last rehearsal."

"Cool. I'll be there in a bit."

"Wait, what?" But Erik had already hung up.

 

 

Erik arrived at the theatre not long after he had called Charles. The first thing he saw was Logan and Raven in ugly medieval costumes practicing sword fight. He then noticed Emma in a white and pink getup and he cracked.

"Not a word, Lensherr," Emma warned. "I did say I wanted to be the big bitchy queen instead."

"Why? You get to wear white as Lady Adelaide," Erik sniggered. He bit his cheek when Emma shot him a withering glare. Logan, meanwhile, seemed displeased with the interruption, and even more so when the interruption was Erik Lensherr.

"What're you doing here?" he said. "You have no business here, bub. Go home."

"He said he'll come," Charles replied instead, emerging from the backstage curtains. He went over to Erik, a puzzled expression on his face. "But as Logan said, what are you doing here?"

Erik shrugged. "I felt like killing time."

"You could've just sneaked back to bed," Charles suggested. "Not that I mind you here," he added hastily, not wanting to make Erik feel unwelcomed.

"But I want you to kill my time. I like spending whatever time I have with you, even though it's early in the morning on a holiday."

Charles burned. Raven whistled. Emma grinned. Logan was butchering Erik with visual hatchets.

"Well, you and Chuck can so whatever it is you want to do," Logan said dismissively, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "Raven, Emma, from the beginning." He heard shuffling of feet as the two ladies get into their starting place. When he opened them again, he balked when Erik had instead taken over Raven's place, sword in hand and her blue feathered hat perched on his head. "Lensherr," Logan growled. "What are you doing?"

"Taking over the role as Wilhelm," Erik replied simply.

"Where the hell is Raven?"

"She took my role instead."

"Your role?" Logan turned to Charles to see Raven beside him, an expectant grin on her dumb face.

The plastic sword Logan threw struck precisely on Raven's exposed forehead.

"Get back on stage, dumbass!" Logan demanded.

Charles looked over to his sister, noting how her grin seemed permanent. "Raven, you look creepily happy."

Raven nodded. She didn't even mind the throbbing pain on her face. "I am." Charles was perplexed with Raven's sudden enthusiasm. Raven, meanwhile, thought about how adorably corny Erik was with her dearest brother.

And so throughout the rehearsal, Raven kept her smile. Through the courting of Adelaide. Through Earl Marion's death. Through Wilhelm's own death.

"Get into character, you fucking idiot!" Logan roared at a "dead" Wilhelm/Raven.

This time, Logan started the second take from the duel between Wilhelm and Rudolph, before Wilhelm's tragic death. Logan got into his fighting stance, in his character, and Raven did the same, though she was doing her best to keep her mouth under control.

"Raise your sword, Wilhelm!" Logan said in a strong voice. "Let the victor from this duel be the one who claims Lady Adelaide's hand!"

_Shit, I can't smile now_ , Raven thought. _But I have to say my line now._ So in an extreme attempt to hold her mouth, Raven's brows were furrowed deeply and a malevolent smile took form instead.

"Then I shall be the lead in this dance of death," Raven said in a deep, villainous growl.

Erik leaned towards Charles and whispered "Why does the hero look like the villain?" Charles just shrugged nonchalantly as he watched Logan give Raven a smack up her head for her antics.

 

 

During their break at half past ten, Jean skipped up to Logan saying that she, Charles and Erik had finished fixing the battered costumes and had found old costumes in one of the prop boxes. Meanwhile, Charles and Erik were rummaging through the old costumes, delighted at their mostly perfect condition.

"It says these were the old Drama Club's costumes from five years ago," Charles said as he read the label at a kilt: PROPERTY OF THE DRAMA CLUB, 2009. When he heard no response, Charles brought his head up to see that he was alone. "Erik?"

"I'm getting into a costume," Erik's voice called out from behind the changing box. Charles perked up.

"What costume?"

"Just wait and see."

A panda emerged from the changing box.

"...Erik, you're so uncool."

Erik instead bounded out of the backstage to terrorize the Drama Club members as a rabid panda.

When Charles emerged from the backstage, Erik was begging Logan to reenact the sword fight scene with him as a panda. Logan had rebuked each time, but his resolve also crumbled each time Erik pestered him nonstop, and he finally yelled out an agreement. And so Logan followed a skipping panda up the stage.

"So your childhood crush turned out to be a fabulous panda, huh?" Emma snickered behind Charles, watching Logan manhandling Erik to get into a fighting stance.

Charles sighed and looked at the two actors with disappointment. "I just...wish Erik would take off the head." Emma blinked.

"What?"

"I can't see his face!" Charles complained and pouted. Emma looked at his stupidly.

"That's what you're worried about?"

At the stage, Logan had bent into his stance while Erik was awkwardly wielding a rapier. "How am I supposed to do this, again?" he asked, moving the rapier to make it's needle-like body wobble.

Logan growled impatiently. "You took sports as an alternative, right? Then you should apply what you learn from that to the sword fight."

The sports alternative in XSGY for freshman included fencing, as far as Logan remembered. He had expected Erik to quickly get into his fencing stance. Only to be dumbfounded when Erik discarded the fake rapier, bent his legs and raised his hands in a grappling stance.

...The thing was, Erik chose wrestling as his sports alternative.

 

***

 

The ride towards the Xavier manor was mind-numbingly boring for the young man. He was, however, eager to finally enjoy the luxuries of the manor when he had spent most of the year holed up in the premises of his boarding school in the other end of the country. The young man grimaced at the thought of having to be under the same roof as the weedy Charles and the loud Raven, but he could easily avoid them by spending his time in the west wing of the manor.

Besides, little Charlie makes a good punching bag.

When the tall roofs of the manor came into view, Cain allowed himself a grin full of malice.


	10. Bookmark - How they met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An appendix. The story of how Charles and Erik met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've arrived back at my apartment! Curse planes - they're too damn scary.  
> Anyway, this is an appendix - I'll be putting some random appendixes once in a while, especially when there're chapters with too little crack (read: upcoming angsty chapters) or when I'm still thinking of how to continue the main plot. Unfortunately, I am still feeling the effects of jetlag, but I'll try to post at least a chapter a day. Enjoy!

_The day before Charles and Erik's meetup at the school gardens..._

 

"Hey! Darwin!" Charles called out to his friend, jogging up to him to catch up with the taller one. "About Erik - "

Darwin held up a hand to stop Charles. Confused, the short brunet just cocked his head with a pout. "You've been talking about him ever since middle school, Charles. Can you just stop saying his name for a while?" Darwin all but plead. Charles's infatuation with the shark-like mysterious Prince of the Dark Erik Lensherr was well-known since they were in middle school. Hell, even the teachers knew it. And if Lensherr knew about it too, then he didn't show it (and was probably stringing the poor boy along, that bastard).

Erik Lensherr wasn't really the type of guy to fall in love with...Okay, he sort of was; he's good-looking, smart and talented in both arts and sports. The only problem was his personality, otherwise he'll be Leonardo DiCaprio for real. Lensherr was at most times quiet and becomes moody when he gets interrupted during one of his thinking/daydreaming sessions, or just when he gets interrupted in the middle of anything. The most notable aspect of his personality was his odd way of thinking - whatever he does, there could be a myriad of explanations no one could actually decipher.

Now the mystery was how had Charles Xavier fell in love with Erik Lensherr.

Charles, bless his soul, nodded in reluctance. "Alright, I won't say his name. Anyway, the guy who bought the A lunch packet at the cafeteria yesterday - "

 

_First break..._

 

 

"Darwin! The guy who walked past me in the corridor - "

 

_Second break..._

 

 

"Oh, oh! Darwin, listen! The guy who wrote on Mr. WIlson's board with the blue marker and solve the problem - "

"OKAY! I GET IT!" Darwin screamed, his head in his hands. "I know you're talking about goddamned Erik Lensherr! Just say his name already!"

Charles frowned. "But you said - "

"Forget what I said." Darwin sighed. He brought his head up and looked at his friend's innocent blue eyes. Oh Lord, what had Lensherr done to this pure little angel to make him so desperately in love? "CHarles, you've been crushing on this guy for what? Three years? And now this is the fourth. What move have you done ever since you found out that you liked him?"

Now it was Charles's turn to sigh. "I can't move forward. All I can do is watch Erik from afar. I don't even think he's gay." As he said this, Charles took out something(s) out of his pocket and laid them out on the cafeteria table. They were a crumpled paper, a paper flower and a blue board pen. Charles was just gazing at them with a creepy degree of affection, like the look he has when he looks at Lensherr. Curious, Darwin asked him what those were, to which Charles answered. "Ah, you see - this is the paper Erik threw away after doodling in chemistry class, this is the paper flower he made in art class and this is the blue pen he used in Mr. Wilson's class - "

"Draw the line there, boy!"

"Yeah, I think he should too," Angel joined in. She dropped next to Darwin with her tray and started munching on some fries (where she always gets them was still a mystery up to this day, because the cafeteria never served french fries). "He talks about Lensherr all the time, I'm pretty sure we know everything about him."

Charles gasped, scandalised. "W-what?! Then prove it! What's Erik's height?"

"!75 cm and growing," Angel and Darwin said in unison.

"His favourite cafeteria menu?"

"Baumkuchen, served every Tuesday."

"His favourite subject?"

The trio paused. Angel and Darwin couldn't recall what his favourite subject was, and Charles was mortified he couldn't recall such a trivial information. Then Jean passed them, looking curious, and decided to try her own guess. "If I remember, it was ICT." See? Even Jean, who wasn't in the same homeroom class as Charles, Angel and Darwin, knew something about Lensherr. And then Alex came over with an egg sandwich in his hand.

"I don't know the answer," he said.

"Then don't join in!" Darwin said, facepalming.

"Speaking of which," Angel piped up. "You talk about what he does everyday and what he did in middle school, but you never told us how the two of you met."

At this, Charles smiled giddily, remembering the time like it was just yesterday. The others groaned at this common look, always associated with Lensherr. Charles began his tale, going back to his first day in middle school three years ago...

 

_Three years ago, late August..._

 

Charles was running late. He had insisted that he walked home to school on his first day, which his mother and Kurt allowed as he had been rather stubborn about it. Now he was regretting not joining Raven ride to school earlier - he woke up late that morning, and before he knew it everyone had left him to his own devices as he had begged them to. All he wanted was to feel more mature as he finally becomes a part of the big boys' circle. Charles ran all the way from the Xavier manor to his school, panting harshly but determined to not miss the welcoming ceremony for new students. He could see the school gates now, metal spires painted in dark forest green, behind it the soccer field with the grass decorated with calculated white lines and on each side a goal structure. If he were to climb over the fence and cross the field, he will arrive in the auditorium earlier than he had calculated if he took the entrance.

He jogged closer to the gate, and that's when he saw  _him_. There was a tender breeze around them that made the trees sigh, and the sun soothed Charles's nerves so that he could stop in his tracks and admire the boy in front of him. His hair swayed gently in the morning breeze, auburn locks that were styled in messy short curls. He had a rather peaceful expression, eyes closed and mouth slightly apart. From the angle that Charles saw him, his sharp angled face - though still soft-looking - looked older than he really should be, which is probably a year or two above Charles. And then Charles realised...

This boy fell asleep on the fence while attempting to climb it.

("THAT WAS TOTALLY MISLEADING!" Angle and Darwin protested.)

Charles had never seen someone...as dumb as this boy, to fall asleep whilst climbing a two-meter fence - and at the top, for goodness sake! How hasn't he fallen off? Now that he looked closely, the boy's hands were gripping the metal fiercely, one was also holding a backpack, and his legs were tangled rather awkwardly with the vertical bars of the fence. A change in the wind's speed awakened the boy, showing sleep addled emerald eyes that looked around dazedly for a moment before they locked onto Charles's blue ones.

The boy cocked his head to the side slightly in curiosity. "Are you late, too?" he asked. His voice had a thick accent to it - European, Nordic perhaps. Charles nodded. "Then come here - I'll help you climb." The boy gave his left hand to Charles, but noticing the bag he was carrying he threw said luggage to the ground. "This is in the way," he said to himself. Charles was also carrying his bag in his hand, so he placed his on the ground so he could climb freely. When the both boys' hands were free, Charles took the offered hand - it was cold, he noted, even though the weather was rather warm - and the boy hauled him up as Charles tentatively climbed up. Once at the top, the boys lowered themselves carefully, and they were finally inside the school grounds.

And there was the problem with their bags. They were outside.

"Okay, we have to get them, then," the boy said to a slightly panicked Charles. He lifted Charles's smaller form - the boy was way taller and stronger than the brunet - and helped him climb over the fence again to retrieve both of their bags.

Now Charles was stuck outside with two bags.

Meanwhile, the boy was blinking his eyes tiredly. It turns out he stayed up all night last night thinking about how to serialize a manga and what characters he should include. _Crap, now I'm so sleepy_ , the boy thought, frowning. Charles saw his frown and swallowed in fear - the boy must be irritated with his antics, he kind of looked murderous.

"You know what? I'll just carry you over here. Don't move," the boy said as he climbed the gate. At the same time, he was also thinking of what his main heroine should look like, and it's important for the heroine to be likeable because his comic was after all supposed to be a shoujo manga. He would've drawn a shounen manga instead, but his drawing skills when it comes to action scenes are limited.

The boy had a pensive face as he hauled Charles up easily in one arm. Charles yelped, his face blushing at the unfamiliar contact. The boy swiftly jumped down, Charles still in his arms, and began walking away. Charles still in his arms.

"U-um, hello?" Charles said warily. "Where are you going? Uh, can you put me down? Hello?! Someone?!"

Erik was in some sort of meditative state as he thought of heroines for his manga.

 

 

The boy dropped him off when he finally realized the kicking and screaming load he was carrying, and he took his bag from the small brunet he had helped. Know that he had taken a good look at him, the younger boy looked somewhat like a little girl: pale complexion, big blue eyes with long lashes, an adorable button nose, cherry red lips and silky dark brown locks that shone softly under the sun. _Like Snow White._

"Umm, thank you for your help," Charles stammered. From the looks of it, he was also shy - that can be clearly seen by his soft appearance.

"No problem," the boy replied. As he walled away, Charles called after him in curiosity.

"Excuse me? Are you an upperclassman?"

The boy stopped and turned to face Charles. "Yes."

"T-then, if you don't mind me saying, why are you in so early? This assembly is only for the new kids."

"Ah, see," the boy said. "I didn't want to go to school, actually - "

 _A delinquent?_ Charles thought. _He somehow looked the part; the scary face, the rugged (but appealing) appearance and his aloof attitude._

" - but I want to see the welcoming ceremony, maybe get a welcoming flower too. I got one two years ago, at my ceremony, but I lost it."

 _Aww, so he's actually kind of cute!_ Charles decided. _He's enthusiastic about school, isn't he?_

The boy's motives for all of these were actually for his manga references.

"Well, I heard they're only giving the flowers to newcomers, but - " Charles opened his bag to take out a colored paper from his art folder. He cut it into a square by folding one corner to make a triangle and a rectangle, sharpened the fold holding the rectangle with his nails and then ripped it off, leaving him with a triangle which opened up to a square. Swiftly, he folded the red paper into a simple flower, something his mother had taught him - it was a rose, looking rather boxy but still a rose. Quite proud with his work, he handed the paper rose to the boy. "You can have this flower, instead," he said kindly.

Taking the rose from Charles, the boy was astounded by his kindness and his origami skills. "What's your name?" the boy asked whilst admiring the flower.

"Charles Xavier. Yours?"

"Erik Lensherr."

Charles tested the name in his tongue, liking the way it rolled so easy in his mouth. "Well then, Erik. I guess I have to get going now, seeing as I'm already late. See you again!"

As Charles jogged towards the auditorium, he couldn't help but keep Erik's appearance and behavior catalogues in his mind. He seemed...intriguing. _Maybe I should get to know him better_ , Charles decided.

Erik watched as Charles's hair bounced with his steps. _Like a chocolate colored bunny_ , Erik thought in amusement. _But he's so pretty, isn't he? With his dark hair, pale skin, and...and..._

"Ugh! I'm so sleepy I can barely remember what just happened!" Erik grounded out in frustration.

But blue eyes haunted him in his sleep.

 

 

Later that day, Erik was finally putting his ideas onto papers. He had a sudden inspiration for his heroine when he woke up and decided that he couldn't lose this sudden enlightenment. When he seated himself at his desk, he noticed a red rose origami resting on top of his bag. Oddly, it looked familiar, and thinking about it made him think of dakr hair, pale skin, blue eyes...

"Where did this come from?" Erik thought aloud. "Oh well, I can use this for reference..."

Erik drew a soft face with wavy brown curls, a button nose, red lips that curved pleasantly and big, baby blue eyes with pretty long lashes. The girl had pale skin, and with a look at the paper rose Erik decided to place a red rose pin to hold the girl's side bangs back. She reminded him of Snow White. He decided to name her Margo.

 

_Present day..._

 

"So what are you waiting for? Go tell him how you feel!" Angel encouraged. She was smitten with Charles's love story but was still irked at how he hadn't thought of confronting the boy himself. "You have to make this better for yourself - stop looting Erik's things and fo own that boy!" Charles nodded slowly at first, and then he gained confidence and rose to his feet, nodding vigorously.

"You're right! I should! Thanks, Angel!" Charles bolted out of the room, obviously looking for Lensherr. Angel and Darwin smiled, hoping the best for their friend.

 

_The next day..._

 

Charles settled into his seat next to Angel, dazed and sluggish. Was it that bad? Or maybe his dreams finally came true and he was still in shock. "So how did it go with Lensherr?" she decided to ask. She remembered how determined Charles was when he announced he had agreed to meet up with Lensherr at the school gardens in break time this morning.

"Ah," Charles said dumbly. "I got his autograph."

"The fuck?! It got worse!"


End file.
